Semi Charmed Life
by FromTheClouds
Summary: After Sandy, Soda's heart is broken. He never thinks that things will be the same again. I want something else to get me through this semi-charmed kind of life... Sodapop/OC
1. In The Still Of The Night

I was in the car with Brad, we were listening to The Beatles and singing on our way home from hanging out with friends at the diner. He had this big grin on his face as he was driving and I just watched him.

I had met Brad a couple months earlier at a party. He had just gotten out of a bad relationship with another girl. I didn't personally know him, but girls everywhere were onto him now that he was single. I couldn't blame them though. He was cute. He had hazel eyes with long eyelashes, and infectious smile, and a boyish face that was just overall attractive. I just figured he wouldn't go for a girl like me.

That was before everyone left for the big game and about 10 of us were left sitting around a campfire. Me and Brad just got to talking. Talking about everything under the sun. He wasn't just a pretty face. He was a nice guy, with a great taste in music and books and everything else. He was genuine, and friendly. The kind of guy I'd always dreamed of. We had so much in common it scared me. I went home that night on cloud nine.

We saw each other in school a lot, and before I knew it, he was taking me out to hang out with his friends, to meet his family, to talk more and more, to buy me ice cream and take me bowling. We were best friends, but I wanted more, and I knew he did too.

"Hey, I'm going to stop in here for a Coke before I drop you off, want one?" Brad said, pulling into a DX station.

"Sure, can I come in with you?" I asked him.

"Of course. Come on!" he smiled at me. I got out of the car and followed him, blushing when he held the door open for me, like the gentleman he was.

We went to the refrigerator in the station and he grabbed two Cokes, than cruised back up towards the register. I usually didn't go to DX's, not for a particular reason, I just didn't.

I barely paid attention to the guy who rang up our drinks and gave us the price.

"It's on me," Brad smiled, passing over a dollar to the cashier.

"Thanks," I just smirked back at him.

He yawned. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom, quick. Will ya wait for me?"

"Sure thing." I winked and he laughed.

I turned around to get our drinks.

"Thanks." I said to the boy.

"No problem."

Than I actually looked at him and was momentarily taken aback. He was strikingly handsome. Not cute, but attractive, in a movie-star kind of way. Blonde hair, brown eyes, a chiseled face. He looked tired, my age...vaguely familiar actually.

"Hey, do I know you?" I asked, than realized how bad that sounded. He probably got that all the time from girls. I tried to think fast. "Did you go to school with me?"

He scanned my face for a bit, than his tired eyes lit up. "Yeah, I did." he said in a relaxed, easy-going way.

"Okay, yes. You looked familiar."

He gave a half-smile. "I'm Sodapop Curtis."

"Sodapop!" I exclaimed. How could I forget about him? The dreamy guy every girl wanted, even though he was considered him a greaser. He dropped out of school last year. That Sodapop. I bit my lip. I always heard he dropped out to support his brothers after their parents were killed in a car wreck. Poor thing. He shouldn't have been working late like this. It was nearly 11 on a Friday night. He should be out with friends, or sleeping.

"That's me." he yawned.

"My name's Lucy. Lucy Jensen." I introduced myself.

He stuck out his hand over the counter, smiling gently. "I remember you, Lucy. You were in my gym class."

"Oh gym." I laughed, embarrassed. Gym was I too much work trying not to get sweaty. I always failed gym. But I mean, who needs gym? I always ate healthy and got exercise, anyways. I still did.

He smiled politely. "It's okay. You aren't the only girl who doesn't like gym."

I just laughed. "Sodapop, what have you been up to lately? I never see you around."

"Uhh, well, I quit school to help my older brother Darrell help out with the bills. I've been working. Actually, its usually more during the day. I took tonight's shift because no one was able to do anything, and just didn't want to sit home alone." he explained.

Thank gosh, that was good to hear. "Oh, well how's that going?"

"Good, actually. Good." he chuckled.

I heard footsteps and looked over my shoulder to see Brad in his letterman jacket and faded jeans approaching.

"Well," I grabbed the Cokes and smiled "It was nice meeting and seeing you, Sodapop. You take care, alright?"

"It was, and I will, Lucy. You too." he shouted after me as Brad took me by the arm outside back to his car. We spent the rest of the ride home drinking our Cokes and joking around.

I thought about Soda for a little that night. I felt bad for him. I remembered I'd heard some bad things about his friends this month. His younger brother went into hiding after getting into a murder rap. Than their two friends Johnny Cade, who was in my grade, and Dallas - Wilson, was it?- died. I remembered the nasty things people said about Johnny Cade, but honestly, I knew him from some of my classes, and he always just seemed quiet, shy, uncomfortable and out of place. Like he just needed someone to be there for him. I could never imagine him the way everyone was talking about him - like a hood.

But people could surprise you I guess, and end up being nothing like the person you though they were.


	2. People Will Surprise You

**Alright. Yes. I have not posted in awhile. I was in my school's musical and it was hell week and I barely had time to think. So please, I know I don't have much of an audience but if I get at least two reviews, or even one good one, I'll post the next chapter, which I can promise you will be a lot better from now on! :D **

*4 months Later*

I was still having fun with Brad, he was walking me to all my practices, promising me he'd come see me in the school musical, and still taking me out on the weekends. I was almost 100% sure he was taking me to the winter dance, too.

Until one day we were walking down the hallway when Shellie appeared.

"BRAD!" She screamed loudly, running up to him like he was the last man on planet earth. Her tangled fake red hair trailed behind her, and my stomach twisted into a knot.

Her, with her loud and overbearing personality, interrupted our conversation. I just walked away. I should have known. In the past two years, she'd woo-ed seven guys out of my reach with her stick thin figure and wild best friend. I wasn't like her, though. I was quiet and friendly, blonde, rather voluptuous, and liked it when guys pursued me. I wasn't obnoxious, or fake. Just me. They would always dump her after a few months when they realized she was psycho, but they still chose her over me, and THAT was a major turnoff. I figured Brad was a good guy, though, right? I thought as I nervously went to my locker.

I got my books and started walking back, and they were still standing, talking in the hallway.

"-can't wait for this weekend, Brad. We'll have so much fun!" she was exclaiming, her eyes on me.

I got in my car and went home, angry with her, and angry with myself.

That night I focused on homework. Homework, homework, and didn't allow myself to think about anything else.

But than that night, all the thoughts came. How did she know him? Why did she do this to me? I used to be friends with her, I really did. And than everything became a competition, and when I got sick of it, she still kept it up. To the point that now, the fact she knows me and Brad are a thing, she figured it out and pursued him. How? She's so crazy. What girl does that? Is she really that obsessed with making my life miserable that she pays attention to what I do, even though we never talk? I never did anything to deserve this.

I had been paranoid about this as soon as me and Brad became friends.

I took deep breaths, knowing he was better than that, relaxing myself. I'd talk to him about her soon. I would.

On Monday, Brad came up to me, peppy and really happy.

"Hey Lucy!"

I promised myself that I wouldn't be overly friendly to him. He led me on, right? He broke my heart.

"Hey Brad." I said flatly, not saying another word and walking past him.

I didn't look over my shoulder, I didn't turn around. But I hoped, and prayed, that he felt bad about doing this. Wasn't it obvious I liked him?

As I walked to my locker at the end of the day, I couldn't help overhear Shellie screaming. She was only talking so loud for my benefit.

"Oh, and BRAD asked me to winter formal this weekend" I heard her brag to her annoying sidekicks.

I acted like I hadn't heard, like it didn't bother me, but honestly, I had to catch my breath. I felt like I had been punched in the gut, my stomach hurt and I felt sick.

I got in my car, and felt the lump rising in my throat. I tried to pull out of the parking lot as fast as I could, but I had to stop for people at the crosswalk. They were my friends, too, so I forced a smile and waved, blinking back tears that threatened to roll down my face. Than one escaped and it was all over. I wimpered quietly to myself, but once I was out on the main road, I didn't hold back. I cried and cried, feeling pathetic and used, and taken advantage of. Was Brad ever going to tell me he had two girls going on at once?

I stumbled in the door when I got home, praying that no one was home.

I almost made it to my room, and than I heard my older brother Charlie. Why was he home from school?

"...Bitsy, what's wrong?" His chair scraped against the floor as I stood up.

"...Nothing, Brad asked Shellie to the dance." I cried.

""Aw, it's alright." He gave me a big hug.

"I know, I know. It's going to be okay." I took in a shaky breath. "It's not even him so much as it is...her."

He shook his head. "Bitsy-" That was my nickname for as long as I could remember. It had nothing to do with my real name, I knew, but for some reason it stuck. "Never let her know she's gotten the best of you. She's jealous of you."  
>"Why would she be jealous, I'm no threat." I said flatly.<p>

"You're beautiful!"

"I'm your sister. You have to say that." I wimpered, before walking upstairs.

I had to focus on my homework that night but I couldn't. I kept thinking about everything with Brad. Did it mean nothing? Did I mean nothing, was I just some other girl who'd fallen head over heels for his charming ways? Did he fake it all? I shook my head. And why does Shellie do this? Why can't guys see through that fake whore?

That's it. I stood up. I'm done. Done with boys. I knew it was a cliche teen thing to do, especially after a heartbreak, but come on. I learned it from my Dad running off, leaving my mom with 4 young kids and a house payment on part time nurse's salary.

_Men are all animals. _

I felt satisfied after resolving this and I walked downstairs, wondering distantly if Charlie could be an animal. Certainly he was a good brother to me, but he was definitely handsome. He looked like a young Marlon Brando. It seems as though the handsome ones are always the most animal-like.

I wondered if he broke hearts.

I wonder if Sodapop Curtis broke hearts?

He was definitely an attractive young man. The though was sparked from my encounter with him at the DX a few months ago. I shook the thought out of my head.

No, definitely not something I'm going to think about. Besides, I had homework and a boy to forget.


	3. That One Night

**Short chapter. Please read the author's note at the end of this.**

The night of the dance, as much as I thought I was over Brad, I knew I wasn't. I still had no idea how such an asshole could fake being such a good guy. Everyone was out tonight at the dance, even my friends Gabi and Terra. They had dates and I didn't. And I could've gotten one, but everyone assumed me and Brad were together, so I didn't get asked.

I didn't have nearly enough homework to keep my busy for the night, so I got into my car and started driving. My car was actually my dad's, but when he ran off, he literally RAN off, so I ended up with it. It wasn't very nice, but it wasn't crappy, and it was a car, so I couldn't complain.

Sometimes getting out of the house felt good. In fact, tonight, getting out of town felt like and even better idea. I didn't know where I was going, but as it turned out, I wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, because I was out of gas.

I watched in dismay as my car slowly sputtered out and barely made it to the side of the road before it shut down altogether.

"No, no, no, Charlie!" I whined, hitting the steering wheel with such force the horn honked and I jumped.

I put my head in my hands. Charlie had borrowed my car yesterday while his was in the shop. I should've thought of that before, but now I was sitting in my car feeling pathetic. I was lost, with no way to contact anyone for help. The best thing I could do right now was to get out and start looking for some help.

I felt like the area was sketchy, but vaguely familiar. Oh well.

I began walking down what looked like a main road, and than I heard a low rumble, like thunder, and quickened my pace. I walked a few blocks, and turned a corner, hearing the noise again and walking even faster. It was cold out, and the wind rustled through the trees.

There were a few houses, but most of the lights were off, and I didn't consider knocking on anyone's door.

I saw lightning flash across the sky. So it WAS thunder. I was screwed. I had better get back to my car.

Suddenly, without warning it started pouring. I was soaked within thirty seconds.

"What?" I shrieked to myself. It probably wasn't the rain that made me cry than. It was everything else built up in the past couple weeks.

It was dumb to cry. I had a family...sort of and a good life, and we weren't rich but we had money, but everything can pile on you and make you lose it, and I guess that's why I lost it than, standing there in the middle of the street.

I probably looked mad, standing out soaked to the bone with only a jacket on in the cold and the rain. Crying like a baby, but I didn't care.

I turned to go back to my car, when out of the corner of my eye I spotted something. The neon light shined through the rain. And I laughed to myself, happily, finally feeling some relief.

The DX. I knew this place looked familiar. I started jogging.

**A/N PLEASE READ**

**So please, if you review can you answer these questions? It would definitely help.**

**1) Can you understand what's going on? If I'm not clear on anything, let me know.**

**2) Do you like Lucy? (the main character) I didn't want her to be a Mary-Sue. I want people to be able to relate to her, so that's why she has all these vulnerable moments, and pokes fun at herself. Yes, she's pretty and has her talents, but she doesn't think she's all that, and she's not too hard on herself.**

**If she doesn't seem like that let me know. Please answer those ^^^^**


	4. You Made Everything Alright

I made my way under the roof of the gas station. There wasn't anyone here, and I had to figure out how to get gas from here to my car without a container. I yawned and decided to go into the small store to see if anyone could help me. No one was at the counter, so I rang the tiny bell to see if it would attract attention.

_Ding._

A few moments later, I heard a door open.

Sodapop Curtis walked through the back doors from the garage. I assumed he had been working on cars, because he had a smudge of something black on his cheek.

It didn't matter, though, because he was still striking. I took a step backward. My memory from a few months ago didn't do him much justice. I had been so swooned by Brad.

And than here I was, probably looking like a drowned rat.

Glorious.

But if I was lucky, he might not even remember or recognize me.

"How can I help- Hey...Lucy, right?" he spoke in a smooth, even voice.

Luck has not been a friend of mine recently.

"Hey, Sodapop." I looked down and tapped my fingers on the checkout counter.

"What brings you here?"

I coughed. "Oh, I was just out for a walk," I bit my lower lip and glanced outside.

"Looks like you forgot your umbrella." He smiled all dazzlingly.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Very funny."

"Awww, come on, I'm kidding." He leaned over the counter, "What can I do ya for?"

I sighed. "I have a problem." I looked down, avoiding his eyes and tracing a pattern on the counter.

"Well what is it? I can at least try to help." Sodapop offered.

"Don't make fun of me, alright?"  
>"Hey, I don't know you well enough to do that anyways."<p>

"So, I just went out driving and I forgot my brother borrowed my car yesterday." I looked up at him.

He was staring at me with intent, big brown eyes. "Mhm."

"Well, he used up all the gas, and while I was driving I ran out. And I had to pull to the side of the road and than I got out and tried to find contact with the outer world but nobody looked home, and than it started raining all over me and I got all wet and I saw the DX so now I'm here. But I don't know how to get gas to my car." I slurred the rest of it quickly, and edited out the crying and acting pathetic.

Sodapop looked at his watch. "Hmmmm, well. I can't leave, because I'm the only one working this shift. But I get off in a half an hour. I can help you than if you want. I'll drive you back to your car, because this rain doesn't seem to be letting up, and we can try to fill it up a bit, than take it back here. How does that sound?"

"Really good. Thank you so so much."

"No problem. What's your favorite kind of drink?" He straightened up.

"Uhm, Coke I guess." What a random question. He turned to the refrigerator and grabbed one, tossing it at me.

"Here!" he smiled.

I thanked my lucky stars I caught it and it didn't go exploding all over the floor. But I was due for some luck, clearly.

"No. I have to use my money for gas. But thanks." I set it down on the counter.

He stared at it. "It's on me, Lucy."

"I couldn't -"

"Just take it."

I didn't argue, but thanked him again and he rolled his eyes. I opened up the Coke and took a sip, finding the cold fizz invigorating, but kept myself from drinking the whole bottle because I didn't want to burp in front of him.

Not that I cared, because he was a boy, and I was done with them. But I decided that even though all boys sucked in terms of love, I might as well still act like a lady and look pretty. That was fair enough.

I sat down on a stool near the counter.

"So..." Soda said, clearly looking for something to say "How are you?"

"Fine." I said a bit too harshly, but he didn't seem to notice. "How are you?"

"I'm pretty good."

And after that we didn't get the chance to talk much because an older man walked in and asked for help. By the time Soda had helped him fill up his tank and pay for it, another co worker had come in to take over his shift.

"Alright, let's go."

Soda led me to an older truck, and he filled up a red container with gas, sitting it in the truck bed.

He got in. We talked for a little bit, but then it got awkwardly quiet and I said nothing. I chewed on my lower lip.

"So where's your car?"

"Hm, I'm not exactly sure." I confessed, feeling dumb that I didn't check the street sign.

We managed to make it back to my car, where he helped me fill up. I had enough gas now to make it home, so instead of driving back to the DX I told him I'd just see him around. He smiled at me, sweetly.

"Thanks for the help Soda." I smiled back

"No problem, anytime."

I turned around, and saw in my rear-view mirror he opened his mouth to say something, but then shut it.

I sighed to myself, wondering why I felt so confused all the sudden, and drove back home to where I should've been all night.

**Okay, so I've got writers block, and I'm going on vacation (spring break) you might not hear from me for a week or two! Spread this around, though, PLEASEEE :D**

**Tell me what you think, I loveeeeee getting reviews :D**


	5. My Family

_**Hey guys! It's Maria, back finally. I was on vacation and spring break and saw The Hunger Games (amazing:D). Anyways, this chapter is going to be a filler mostly, but it's important because she's explaining her life and her family.**_

*************************IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE PLEASE READ:***************************

**I realize in Chapter 2: People Will Surprise You it says there's only 2 kids in the family. I decided against that while writing this chapter, and you'll see that there are now 4. I changed it in the 2nd chapter so it corresponds, but I didn't want any of you to be confused. :P**

I walked inside the house, drenched and exhausted, but something inside me felt warm and happy and I didn't know why. I guess my night was such an adventure in itself, it was better than any old dance could have been.

When I walked inside though, my three brothers were staring at me like I was crazy. They were all sitting in the living room watching TV. My mom was working overtime, as usual.

"Bitsy where were you?" asked my youngest brother David.

David's the youngest in the family. He's in second grade, and a real doll. He's so happy all the time and nice to me, and I like taking him out to get ice cream and go to the movies. He plays little league baseball, which he loves. Everybody loves him. He's like a younger version of Charlie. He's going to be handsome when he grows up, he's got dark hair and the same blue eyes like all the rest of us, with freckles on his nose and a dimple on his right cheek, like I do.

"I was out. You didn't tell me the car was on E, Charles." I said with a glare at my oldest brother.

Charlie is the oldest out of us all. His real name is Charles, but we only call him that as a joke. To everyone else, he's Charlie. He's 20 and he goes to community college and works two jobs, one as a bartender, one as a landscaper. He wants to be a lawyer, but since law school is expensive, he's taking some mandatory classes at the community college to help save some money. He was really smart and got alot of scholarships when he graduated, so it's only a matter of time before he can go. He's handsome too, he has muscles from landscaping and a big smile, with freckles across his nose. He's got dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. He looks like a young Marlon 's not around much because of everything he has to do, but when he does, I'm always happy. He's a good brother, and I care about him alot. He watches over us now that my dad's gone.

"I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you. I didn't know you were leaving tonight. What'd you end up doing?" asked Charlie.

"I just found a DX and one of their attendants helped me out." I answered.

"Wow, where were you?" asked Mikey.

Mikey's a senior in high school, only a year older than me. He's 18 and I don't like him much at all. He's a stellar baseball player, he's got scout's after him from all over, and he works as a farmhand for a family nearby. I guess I do love him, I just don't like his cocky attitude and the way he always acts like he doesn't know me at school, because he's some kind of bigshot. He's okay at home, I guess, he doesn't usually terrorize me, but he's not nice to poor little David. He's not nearly as handsome as Charlie, he's lanky and boyish, with fair skin, blonde hair and blue eyes.

"I don't know. I walked a couple blocks before I found the DX, but it started raining and that's how I got wet." I sat down on the couch beside David, who gave me a hug and smiled up at me.

"I'm glad your safe." he said.

"Thanks Dave, me too." I sighed, focusing on TV.

Well, I suppose since I described the kids in my family, I might as well describe my mom.

My mom's name is Mary. When I was in 6th grade, I remembered her as beautiful. Blonde hair, blue eyes, pretty smile and a stunning body. She still had those looks, but after my dad left in 7th grade, she smiled less and less often, and the life left her eyes as she worked her fingers to the bone. I felt bad for her. She was able to raise us all and still keep her job as a nurse full time. She tried to help us live normal lives, she didn't want to deprive us from anything we wanted to do, but we all had gotten jobs as soon as possible to help us out. I even have a summer one at an ice cream stand part time.

We used to have a good amount of money, but after Dad left, we're just regular middle class verging on poor.

I guess I better talk about myself now.

My name is Lucy Elizabeth Jensen. I'm almost 17. I'm probably about 5'6''. I have a body, big boobs and a tiny waist and hips, which is a rarity in my age, because most girls are skinny and lanky. I got it from my mom, she's the same way, but it's more beautiful on a graceful woman. You would think that would make boys like me, but most of them mock me and call me names, girls all think I'm a whore, even though I'm quiet and don't talk much, and never act like one. Other than that I guess somewhat attractive. I have blonde hair and green eyes, and a dimple on my right cheek. I'm not beautiful by any means. But I don't really mind.

At this point I don't need looks to impress men who will take advantage of me anyways. I'll be fine on my own. Which is what I've always wanted to be. What I've always been. Independent.

I've got alot of friends, though, because I'm nice to everyone, and I don't know why Shellie hates me, I've never done anything to her.

I sing and dance a little. Well at least I used to dance.I told my mom I didn't like it anymore, which wasn't true. I quit ballet after my dad left to save her some money. Nowadays I'm your typical choir kid. I do school musicals, which are actually pretty fun to do. There's something about performing in front of an audience that really makes me happy. I fell in love with it my freshman year.

My whole family always comes to watch.

So yeah, we may be missing a dad, but we all have each other, and even though it's sad sometimes, we're still a family. We still love each other, and everything still works out alright


	6. Groceries

**PAY ATTENTION TO AUTHORS NOTE AT THE END.**

*One Month Later*

My boy avoiding plan was working out perfectly.

I'd politely refused any invitations to do things with boys, and instead spent time with my girlfriends, and made many new friends. I focused primarily on homework and schoolwork and pulling my grades up. Life was actually doing better, even if I still thought about Brad a lot, and this weird thing twisted in my gut when I saw him and Shellie together. I never let him see it.

Plus, spring musical auditions were coming soon, and I was practicing singing and dancing like crazy. I wasn't a real great singer or anything, but I hoped to get a decent part to make my dedication worthwhile.

It was a sunny Friday at the beginning of March, and when I got home from school I decided to go pick up David from the bus stop. I was feeling happy and cute in a yellow dress my mom had bought me earlier that week. The sun was bright and it was warm out.

I walked to the corner and the bus pulled up. David hopped out after a couple kids who were giggling and whispering.

David was walking with his head down. I didn't think anything of it.

"David!" I smiled, calling his name. He looked up, his face brightening when he saw me.

"Hi Lucy!" He gave me a hug and his backpack. "How are you?"

"I'm good, baby. How about you? How was school?"

"Good, we have a project due Monday." he paused "Can you go to the store and get me some construction paper and new crayons?"

"Wait, tonight?" I asked.

"Yeah. Its due Monday. I need to stat working out it."

"Really? Okay...do you need anything else?"

"Maybe...some ice cream? And cake?" He tested me.

"Now you're pushing it, we'll see." I chuckled.

When we got to the house I was surprised to see Mikey and Charlie's cars in the driveway.

"Mikey and Charlie are home!" David ran into the house.

That was strange. Mikey was usually at baseball and Charlie was out working or studying. My mom was gone today, too, she was on call.

When I walked inside, Mikey and Charlie were standing at the counter teasing David.

"Hey guys."

"Hey Bitsy" Mikey smiled and came over, lifting me off the ground and spinning me around

"Micheal put me down!" I shrieked but was surprised at his friendliness.

"We're home all night what should we do?" asked Charlie.

* * *

><p>That night I didn't end up getting to the grocery store until later because Charlie and Mikey had talked me into baseball and board games with me all night. Baseball was just great because Mikey schooled us all. Than they all started wrestling and being boys and that's when I left for the store.<p>

I arrived at the store and took a cart, deciding to actually buy the some cake ingredients for David.

I was taking some sugar off a shelf and turning around to place it in the cart when I bumped into a hard chest.

Ohhhhh Cliffhanger how do you like that?

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	7. See You Around

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Immediately I skittered backwards, dropping the sugar and looking up up.

"Woah, hey easy," he said gently, smiling, "Hey Lucy."

"Hey...Sodapop."

He leaned down and picked up the sugar. All I could think of was how hard and muscular his chest was. But then I shut my mind up. No.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you there."

I collected myself. "No, no. It's perfectly fine."

"So," he leaned up against the shelves. He was wearing a white t-shirt with a flannel over it, and old jeans. His blonde hair was slicked black. "Come here often?" he grinned.

"Probably more often than you." I teased.

"That's probably true. What brings you here, though?" He asked.

"I'm looking for crayons for my little brother, and cake."

"No way! I'm looking for cake ingredients too! I never come here though, so I have no clue what I'm doing." said Sodapop

"Well, if worse comes to worse, you could ask me for help."

"Oh. So you don't mind if I follow you around?"

"Of course not. I mean, I'm a pro at this place so you better keep up." I turned to the cart. "So I take it you aren't working late tonight?"

"No, my brothers are all out, though. I didn't have plans, so they told me to make a chocolate cake."

"What's the occasion?"

"Breakfast."

I paused, turning around. "You eat chocolate cake for breakfast?"

"Everyday, is that a problem?" he smiled at me, his eyes mischievous.

"Isn't it unhealthy?"

"I'm still alive." he chuckled. "What's your occasion?"

"Just because. For my brothers." I said.

"I see." He nodded. "How many brothers do you have?"

"Three. How about you?"

"Two." He smiled.

I pulled some flour off the shelf and he did too. We were quiet for a moment as he followed me down the isles.

I turned and opened my mouth, but stopped.

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing, nevermind." I smiled.

"No tell me." he stared.

"I was just wondering. If you don't mind me asking. Why'd you drop out of school?"

He stared at me for a second. "Well, my parents both died in a car accident. And my oldest brother Darrell had to take care of us. And we didn't want to get put in a boys home, so I thought I'd help him with the bills. Plus, I was failing everything except auto mechanics and gym."

I stared at him. I wasn't exactly sure what to say, so I just said "I'm sorry Sodapop."

"It's not your fault." his voice cracked slightly and I cursed myself for bringing it up. "But anyways..."

I changed the subject to something incredibly light and pointless and felt stupid for asking him that question. I hardly knew him. It wasn't okay.

We found our ingredients and he went to the checkout, while I searched for crayons, saying goodbye as we parted ways.

I stepped out of the store after paying, and was surprised by how cold the night had gotten. I quickly put the bags in the backseat of my car and got in, starting the ignition.

I began driving home, and I saw a figure walking down the street. It was Sodapop. I slowed down, but he looked over his shoulder and started jogging slowly, looking nervous.

"Sodapop?" I rolled down my window and called his name. "Soda?"

He turned around. "Lucy?"

"Yeah, its me."

I noticed him relax.

"What are you doing walking home in this weather?" I asked him as a cool wind blew my hair away from my face.

"What weather? I'm fine!" He smiled.

"Really?"

He got serious. "Of course" But than he shivered.

"Get in the car, Sodapop. I'll give you a ride."

"I'm okay, really." He shivered against.

"Sodapop." I stared at him.

"Okay fine!"

He got in the car with his two bags of groceries.

"Thanks." He mumbled quietly.

"No problem. Why do you live?"

He told me. "Make a right at the next street." he paused. "I don't live in a very nice area."

I look at him. "Sodapop. It's okay."

He kind of relaxed. "So tell me about yourself, Lucy."

"What?" I laughed. "My name's Lucy. I'm 17, I go to school."

"That's interesting. Quick turn left here."

"Okay," I did.

"My house is that one" He pointed.

He was right, he didn't live in a real nice area but his house looked clean and well-manicured compared to all the others.

I pulled in the driveway.

"Thanks Lucy."

"No problem, Sodapop."

He started walking towards the front door, but then he turned around, smiling. "I'll see you around, okay?"

I stuck my head out of the car window. "Yeah...yeah." I paused. "See you around." I said quietly.

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	8. Chocolate Cake

**You guys wanted more Soda...here he is. (And a shot of Ponyboy, because who doesn't love him?)**

**READ AND REVIEW :D You guys did great last time :) #-4 reviews before next chapter, though. And going to be getting very good from here on out!**

*****SODA'S POINT OF VIEW*********

I watched Lucy pull out of the driveway in her old car.

I thought it was kind of crazy how we kept running into each other. She was really nice and funny, and classy. I didn't like girls who wore a bunch of eye makeup and swore and dressed bad. She wore dresses and looked natural, behaved well, she had manners. Girls like that were great.

It had been a few months since everything with Pony and Johnny and Dally happened. The gang was still patching itself together. But it wasn't the same.

We all missed Dallas with his loud, crazy, wild personality, so mean and hateful to the world. His blue eyes were fiery, dangerous. We were all afraid of him, but respected him, were there for him at the same time. I knew as soon as Johnny went he would, too.

Johnny represented everything unfair to Dallas. Even though Johnny went through hell and back, he was still there. Dallas' life was the same. I think Dally kept living because he saw how Johnny put it all behind him and kept going. And once Johnny was gone, there was no hope for Dallas.

And Pony was sad too. He lost a best friend.

On the upside, we had all gotten closer. The gang was close after all that. You can't not be after all we'd been through.

And than Sandy...

I still really missed Sandy. I missed her laugh, her deep blue eyes. I missed everything about her. She was beautiful.

At first it was all I thought about after she left. How could she have left me? Cheated on me? She loved me. She told me herself. But it must have meant nothing. I gave her everything. _Everything_. And now I had nothing to show for it except for a broken heart.

I hadn't thought about any other girls after Sandy. I didn't want to. If I did all I saw was Sandy. I felt like one day she'd show up to tell me it was all a joke, that she never cheated, that she loved me, that she'd marry me.

But she never did.

So I was done with girls for the while. I was too heartbroken.

I stepped inside my house, which was warmer in comparison to the cool outside air. No one was home, it was quiet and dark. I turned on a light and sat down the groceries on the counter, beginning to put them away. I had no clue how to make a chocolate cake anyways. That was Darry and Pony's job. But of course, I managed to find a recipe and figure it out for myself, making a huge mess of the kitchen.

I heard the screen door creak open and slam shut.

"Soda?" called Ponyboy.

"In here!" I called back, grabbing the pan in the oven without a mitt. I cursed and pulled my hand back.

"You'll never believe what- Holy hell, Soda what'd you do!" He yelped when he walked in the kitchen.

I watched him survey the floured floor and countertop, cake batter that had somehow made its way on the cupboards, and then to me, holding my hand, grimacing. The cake teetered on the edge of the oven rack, threatening to fall out.

Within seconds, Pony grabbed a mitt and put it on the counter.

"I tried to make cake...I burnt my hand."

"I see that. What makes you think you can grab a hot pan out of the oven with your bare hands?" Pony crossed his arms, which were surprisingly muscular since his football season.

"I...I wasn't thinking." I frowned.

"Exactly..." Pony looked at me.

"Alright, Darry." I teased, which made him smile. "Why don't you get me a cold rag, my hand kills."

Pony wet a cloth with cold water. When he placed it on my hand, I felt instant relief.

"So did you walk to get the groceries?" He asked, wiping down the countertops while sat at the table.

"Yeah. I got a ride home, though."

"From who?" He asked, turning around.

"A girl named Lucy Jensen. I think she goes to school with you."

"Yeah, she's a year above me. How do you know her?" He asked, surprised.

"Coincidence. I've run into her a couple times. She's a nice girl."

He shrugged. "I've never talked to her before. She doesn't strike me as the type to talk to greasers. Pretty quiet, and cute. I think she's seeing a guy named Brad."

"Is that so?"

"I don't know for sure," he quickly corrected. "I've seen them together a couple times."

My mind trailed back to the first time she introduced herself to me. There was a boy with her. It would make sense if they were seeing each other. My stomach flipped for some reason I couldn't explain.

Maybe I sampled too much cake batter.

"Oh, when I first talked to her she was with a boy." I suggested and my stomach turned again, this time it was clearly not because of the cake batter.

"Hmm. Well, anyways, guess what happened to me tonight?" He changed the subject, clearly not interested anymore.

"What?" I asked, and as Pony continued cleaning the kitchen and talking to me, I realized it was the first time in a week or two we had really sat down and talked to each other. I missed it. I loved my brothers more than anything else.

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**Did you like Soda and Pony? They're the cutest brothers ever, haha.**


	9. How It's Going To Be

**WOOP. I've pretty much outlined the rest of this story. It might take me awhile to continue updating though...I'm going away this week and will be without a computer.**

**LONGEST CHAPTER YET, with more Soda and some Steve and some sass from Lucy :D**

****Lucy's POV****

_2 weeks later._

I sat down in the Mustang with Gabi, feeling rather awkward. She was with this guy Joey on their first date, but since she didn't want it to be awkward, she decided to drag me along and one of Joey's friend Sketch came too. A double date.

Which I hated.

So far, Sketch had already dumped me to go drink with some other guys. Not that I really cared, because I was done with boys. In fact, that left me to perch on the back edge of the Mustang and people-watch. As soon as I saw Brad walking towards me I narrowed my eyes and pretended that the awkward eye-contact hadn't happened.

"Hey Lucy." He said quietly and my stomach flipped. I instantly lifted my chin. No. I told myself.

"Hello, Brad." I said coolly.

His bit his lower lip. "How are you?"

"Great." I attempted a smile but knew I was really just baring my teeth at him. Sketchy.

"Congrats on your part in the musical."

I stared at him for a second. "Oh, thanks. Yeah. It's no big deal."

He stared at me for awhile. "So...are you here with anyone?"

"Oh, yeah. He just went to get popcorn." I lied completely.

He nodded and was quiet. I was kind of upset. If he wanted to come talk to me he should have made an effort to act more natural.

"Lucy I'm sorry for what I did." I could see that someone had put him up to it in his eyes. Insincere. "Can't we be friends again? I'll take you out. We'll go on a real date." His smile was cocky. And it reminded me of Mikey's. I hated when Mikey smiled like that.

"I can't think of anything worse." I said flatly.

He narrowed his eyes at me, they flashed with something that actually kind of scared me.

"Goodbye, Brad." I hopped off the back of the Mustang and was about to look around for Sketch when suddenly, Sodapop was right there. I could tell by his eyes he had just seen and heard everything go down. I didn't know whether that was bad or good.

"H-hey, Sodapop." I grimace.

"Hey, Lucy. Everything okay?" His brown eyes showed sincerity.

"Yeah, everything's fine."

"You sure?"

I nod.

"How are you?" He tilted his head. I noticed a dark-haired boy standing near him.

"Great. Did you get around to making that chocolate cake?" I teased.

"Yeah, and burnt my hand in the process." He showed me his palm.

"Ouch." It was scabbed over by now, but looked painful. "How'd you manage that?"

"I didn't use an oven mitt."

I laughed out loud. "Wow, Sodapop. You never cease to entertain me."

His eyes danced with laughter.

"And who do you have to thank, Soda, for pretty much taking over your job while you complained about how much it hurt?" The dark haired boy looked at him.

"Hey, only one of my hands was functional!" he defended. "Steve, this is Lucy, Lucy, this is Steve."

I smiled and shook Steve's hand. He was definitely a greaser. He had the slicked back hair, the leather jacket. But I could tell he was still a nice guy.

I never thought much about greaser's or soc's. I knew how those social classes hated each other. But I was middle class, so none of it really mattered to me.

"What are you two doing here?" I asked them.

"We're trying to pick up some girls." answered Steve. Soda blushed and shook his head.

"Not me." he insisted.

"You've gotta get over that broad already." Steve sounded annoyed as he nudged Sodapop, who turned even redder, his eyes getting distant.

I was curious, but my gut told me not to say anything.

"So, Lucy." he cleared his throat. "How's school."

"Good, really good. How's work?"

"I've been doing it all for him." Steve grumbled and Sodapop laughed.

"Healing takes time!" he whined.

"Hey, there's Two-Bit. Come on. Let's go." Steve pointed behind me. I turned and looked but had no real reason to do it.

"Okay, bye Lucy, nice seein' you. Talk to you soon." Sodapop shook my hand before Steve pulled him off.

"Nice meeting you, Lucy." Steve sang, but didn't look back.

As it turned out, Sketch came back rip-roaring drunk, which was kind of hilarious. He cracked jokes that made me laugh a lot during the movie, interrupting Gabi and Joey a million times before they finally told us to go sit up front or we could find ourselves new designated drivers.

Sketch made it clear that he didn't really care for me, which was great, because I didn't care for him either. But it was a fun night out.

The next day I was wiping down the countertop after lunch when I heard the phone ring. David picked it up. I heard him murmur a greeting. Suddenly, he called my name.

"Lucy! Telephone!" I picked up the phone that was in the kitchen. "It's a boy!" he sang giggled.

"Dave!" I gasped, grabbing the phone and dragging it and the spiral cord into the bathroom.

I took a deep breath. "Hello?"

"Lucy?" I expected Brad's voice, but it wasn't.

"Sodapop?"

"It's me, yes. Sorry to bother you."

"No, no. It's okay." I insisted.

"Uh, hey. So I got your number from the phonebook."

"You did?" I was surprised he took the time.

"Yeah. Hey lucy, don't take this the wrong way, but I was wondering if you'd like to do something-just as friends. I'm free tonight and, well, honestly, that chocolate cake was a bad idea the last time I was home alone." He chuckled.

"Oh really? Yeah, I'm free tonight, too. That'd be fun." I chirped back.

I knew it was a bad idea, but he said just as friends, right? That didn't mean I liked him...

"Oh, really? Cool! I'll pick you up around 7." He sounded relieved.

"Okay, see you than." I smiled.

After he had hung up, I walked back into the kitchen.

"Was his name really Sodapop?" asked David, his eyes wide.

"Yes."

"I've never heard of anyone named Sodapop."

"I think its unique."

"What does that mean?" David cocked his head, his blue eyes bright.

"Sodapop Curtis?" asked Mikey, entering the room.

I nodded.

"What are you doing talkin' to a greaser like that?" he eyes me suspiciously.

His statement pretty much was self-explanatory as to why I couldn't stand him sometimes. Least favorite brother.

I just looked at him. "I don't know."

"You stay away from him. He's a hood. A dropout." He glared at me.

"No he isn't Mike. Have you ever talked to him?" I cocked my head.

"Once you've talked to one you've talked to them all."

I shook my head.

"What happened to you and Brad? He's the kind of guy you need to be with."

"Brad's a goof. I can do whatever I want."

"Oh really?" Mikey scoffed.

"Really, Mike. You never take interest in my life and when you do you never have anything nice to say!" I raised my voice.

"Well maybe if you-" he started but was cut off.

"Guys stop it!" David exclaimed. I had forgotten he was there.

"Way to fight in front of our brother. He's supposed to look up to us. So don't do anything stupid."

"Like I said, I'll do what I want."

Mikey looked pissed but I just shook my head and walked out angrily.

**Tell me what you liked and didn't like, what'd you'd like to see more of or less of.**

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	10. The First Date

**Hey guys so I'm going to post this, but I'm going to NYC so it might be another week before I post again! Please read and review, I love hearing from you (can't stress this enough).**

**I have the rest of the story planned out, and it will only get better from here! xD**

**And this chapter is kinda a quick one, sorry!**

* * *

><p>I kind of got ready a bit that night. I didn't want to look like I was trying to hard. I put on that cute yellow dress my mom had gotten for me, a white sweater and that was about that. Luckily Mikey was out so he couldn't get all mad if he saw me leaving with Soda.<p>

At 7 o'clock on the dot I heard the doorbell ring. Nobody was home, so I answered the door. Soda was standing, smiling. I smiled. "Hey Sodapop."

"Hello." he grinned and I contemplated shutting the door in his face because of how gorgeous he looked. I probably looked like shit next to him.

He looked so relaxed, easy-going, natural.

"You ready?" He cocked his head.

I nodded but for some reason couldn't move. I was having second thoughts.

"Come on then," He reached out and tugged on the sleeve of my sweater. His hand touched mine, but I didn't think too much of that, because he made a point not to really touch me after that. "My car's kind of a mess. We all share it."

"It's okay." I quickly opened up the passenger door and got in, because I noticed how he was making his way over to get it for me. None of that. We were just friends.

He took me to get ice cream, and even let me pay.

"I'll get it." He offered.

"This is just as friends, it's okay. I've got it."

He looked at me for a second. "The lady never pays. But if you insist."

"I insist." I smiled.

He just shrugged.

We got our ice cream and sat and talked. I admired how great of a listener he was, he was so understanding and nice, and I made a conscious effort to do the same.

Somehow we got on the subject of why we were hanging out.

"Why'd you take me out tonight, Soda?"

He smirked. "I figure, I keep runnin' into ya, maybe we should sit and talk for awhile. I haven't been out with a girl in ages."

"Really?" I instantly regretted saying it.

He nodded "I gave them up after my last girlfriend."

I chuckled. "Me too. Well, not girls. But guys."

He smiled with his lips closed, letting out a sigh. "So we're just friends. You don't have to worry about any of it."

I tilted my head at him. "So, tell me about your your family."

And I watched as he lit up, talking about his youngest brother Ponyboy, his oldest brother Darry. How close they've gotten since his parents died, how much they meant to each other. How they supported and encouraged each other, and really tried to still work as a family. How they still did, and they always would.

"Yeah, we have our disagreements, we don't always get along. But it's bound to happen, and I don't know what i'd do without them."

Talking to Soda made me feel grateful for what I had. He was so happy for what he had, too.

Sodapop took me back home. I was glad I went by the end of the night. What else would I have done?

He walked me to the door. There was that awkward moment when he leaned in, I thought he was going to kiss me and I stepped backwards. But really he was just opening the door for me.

"Bye Lucy. I had fun. I'll call you soon!" he reached out and tugged the sleeve of my sweater gently, smiling at me. I felt my knees go weak.

"Bye Sodapop. Me too."

"I'll call you next week." Than he hopped down the steps of my front porch and down the walkway to get in his car. He honked and waved before driving away.

**THANKS! READ AND REVIEW xD**


	11. Musical

**_Soda's POV _**

About two weeks later, Pony dragged me to his school's musical. I really have no idea why, he knows I can't sit still and watch a movie, and I felt like this wouldn't be any different. I complained when he asked me to go, but he argued me on it and I finally agreed in defeat.

"I heard its going to be good." He had said in defense.

I stared at the curtain after we sat down. Occasionally it twitched because of the people moving behind it I guessed. Ponyboy sat down beside me reading the program.

"Hey, Lucy Jensen. Don't you know her?" he spoke as he stopped on a page.

"Yes, give me that!" I snatched it out of his hands. I saw a picture of her with another girl. Underneath it said 'Dance Captains'. Apparently that meant they were in charge of being in all the dance numbers. At least that's what the program read. I stared at her picture. At least now I had a reason to watch this thing.

"Oohh is that your girlfriend, Soda?" Ponyboy teased.

"Shut up, Pony." I tossed the program back at him, feeling my cheeks get red.

To be honest, I wasn't sure what Lucy was to me. A nice girl, a great friend, for sure, we'd been hanging out a lot recently, but my feelings on her were hard to figure out. At least she understood the friend thing, though. I was grateful for someone who understood. She was a good listener, she was genuine. And I liked the sound of her voice. It was so smooth, quiet and relaxing to listen to. She made me laugh a lot, and I liked that. We enjoyed each other's company.

Pony laughed beside me, and before I could come upon with a quick response, the lights dimmed and the audience hushed quiet. The musical was The Sound Of Music. I didn't know much of it, but Lucy played the part of a girl named Liesl. I didn't pay attention to the storyline so I didn't know exactly what she did or anything, but I paid attention to Lucy's singing and dancing, and that was enough.

She never told me she was into this kind of thing, and I was very surprised. She was good at what she did, and oddly enough, I felt proud of her.

After the show was over, it took us awhile to leave with everyone crowding out. Than I saw Lucy. She was standing, smiling and taking pictures with some other people from the. They were all wearing really crazy makeup, but I guessed it was so people could see their features better in the audience.

"Alright are we leaving?" Pony asked, impatiently.

"Hang on," I said, weaving through the crowd of people all excited and greeting everyone.

"Lucy." I tapped her shoulder and she turned around.

"Sodapop!" she exclaimed. "I didn't know you were going to be here."

"I didn't know you were in it, great job! You did great!" I opened my arms for a hug and I watched her eye them suspiciously, but she hugged me quickly anyways.

"Thanks Soda." She said when her cheek was pressed up against my shoulder.

After she pulled away she stepped closer, giggling and rubbing the shoulder of the jacket I was wearing. "I got some stage makeup on you."

"It's okay." I looked down at her head of blonde hair. She looked up at me and her face was close to mine. She stepped back and smiled liked it hadn't happened.

She changed her attention to what was behind me, "Hey Ponyboy." she said easily. He looked surprised, but smiled.

"Hey Lucy, good job."

"Thanks," she smiled and for the first time I noticed a dimple in her right cheek. Ponyboy smiled. Someone called Lucy's name behind us.

"Hey, I got to go. It was great seeing you guys." she smiled. Ponyboy walked past her towards the exit, waved goodbye.

I put my hand on Lucy's arm. "I'll call you, okay?"

"Okay," she nodded, waving to me. When we finally got out of the crowd and outside Pony looked at me, smiling.

"Soooo, Lucy, eh?"

"Pony, cut it out, we're just friends." I shoved him playfully.

"Whatever you say." he teased.

**Yeah, crappy ending, I know! Sorry! Next chapter will be better :D**


	12. Just Friends

****I'm going to be doing much longer chapters now. I've been keeping them short and sweet but now I've pretty much set the stage for the rest of the story.****

The weekend after the musical, I was looking forward to just relaxing. I was exhausted from the constant rehearsals and nonstop practice. I had tons of work to make up and all week I barely got enough sleep to survive the next day. It was Friday, and as soon as I got home I laid down on the couch.

"...So the the superstar finally gets some rest." said Charlie, entering the living room and sitting beside me. I was about to move and make room for him, but he lifted my bare feet and pushed them out of the way.

"Yeah," was all I said, smiling as he took a sip of water from his glass, "What are you doing home?"

"I had the day off." Charlie stretched out, "I have a night class to take tonight, though. So I'll be leaving in a few hours. Could you stay home and watch David?"

I nodded. "I need to sleep though."

"I could watch David if you have plans," Mikey offered, walking in. I didn't say anything.

"Oh that reminds me. A boy called for you a few minutes before you got home from school. I told him you weren't home yet." Charlie said, looking at me pointedly.

"Who was it?" Mikey leaned forward, and I immediately straightened up. I knew what this was. He wanted to make sure it wasn't Sodapop, which I knew it probably was, since we'd been out a few times, but I hoped to gosh it really wasn't.

"I don't know. He just said that he had told Lucy he'd call." Charlie eyed me and Mikey. We were both staring each other down.

"Oh. I'll call him back." I leaned back against the chair, smirking at Mikey. He just shook his head in amazement at me.

I talked to Charlie a bit more, and Mikey kept looking at me suspiciously. I just ignored it. He was being petty and ridiculous, and it wasn't for my sake. He just didn't want to have to explain to his friends why his younger sister was hanging out with the no-good dropout who was supposed to be in his graduating class. Mikey was never worried about me, though. Only his reputation.

After a few more minutes, Mikey left for batting practice and a baseball game he had later on. I went upstairs to call Sodapop back. I dialed the number I had written down on a napkin from the last time we were together.

The phone rang and rang, echoeing slightly in my ears. I sighed.

"Hello?" a gruff unfamiliar voice answered the phone. I stuttered, startled.

"Uh, uhm, yeah is Sodapop there? It's Lucy" I asked quickly.

"Hang on." The voice spoke and I heard muffled calling in the distance.

A few moments later the phone crackled and Soda's familiar voice came on.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Sodapop. It's Lucy. I'm returning your call."

"Oh, hey Lucy!" he chirped and I could almost hear the adorable grin on his chiseled face over the phone.

"Hey." I paused "So, what did you want?"

"Oh, yes. I was wondering if you'd like to go out to dinner with me tonight. I'll take you to my favorite diner. Is that okay?"

I paused. This no longer sounded like we were simply hanging out. This sounded like a _date_, which was something I no longer did. I was contemplating when he spoke again.

"You can pay for yourself. We'll just be going as friends, right?"

It was as if he knew exactly what I was thinking.

"That sounds great, Sodapop." I smiled to myself.

"Alright, I'll be seeing you at around 7. Is that alright?"

"Yeah, thats perfect." I agreed.

Although I had been looking forward to chilling out and relaxing, I made an exception. I liked being with Soda, and I hadn't had the chance to be with him, so I figured it was worth not getting a nap.

********************************************************************************************************

That night Sodapop picked me up at 7:30, on the dot. We drove in the car listening to Elvis and rock n roll, and then finally we pulled in at a small little diner. The neon sign on top of it said 'Mary's', and the 'Open' sign flashed.

Once we got our seats we looked around. It was dim inside, there was a bar with blue bar stools, and chrome was everywhere along with plenty of colorful signs and posters all around. It was honestly adorable, and we sat in a comfy little booth across from each other. After a moment Soda looked at me.

"What do you think?" he asked, looking me dead in the eye.

"It's really cute." I paused. "It's far away though, how'd you find out about it?" I recalled the half-hour drive it took to get here.

"My dad used to live around here when he was little. I guess his family always came here. He used to take me, Darry and Pony and mom here."

I nodded, and he looked at me for a second, then spoke.

"I remember one time we went, just the two of us. Me and my dad. It was my 8th birthday. We were sitting over there-" he pointed at the bar "-and I had my first banana split."

I chuckled, trying to picture Soda as a kid. Chubby little cheeks and the same innocent smile, boyish face.

Soda continued.

"I thought it was the best thing since sliced bread. And when I came home-" he smiled, looking down "-my mom yelled as us because I made of mess of myself and was covered in ice cream." he laughed to himself. "My dad just told her it was my birthday. I could get as messy as I wanted. Golly, I loved my dad. I miss him."

He smiled at me, but I saw this horrible flash of sadness in his eyes, something I couldn't explain. I couldn't imagine it. To have both your parents taken away at the same time, than you'd be left alone, to fend for yourself and provide for yourself, constantly afraid that social services would tear your family apart if something went wrong. It just didn't seem fair.

"I understand. It's hard. I haven't seen my Dad since I was 13." I told him. I didn't like to talk about this but I wanted to tell him. To let him know we had something missing, even though my loss was not nearly as tragic as his.

Soda looked up suddenly, cocking his head. "What? You never told me this."

I shrugged. "It's not a big deal, really."

"It's not a big deal you don't have a dad?"

The waitress came by, suddenly.

"Hi welcome to Mary's, what can I get you to drink?" she was snapping her gum. She was young, and looked bored, like working here was the last place she wanted to be.

"I'll have a Coke and-" Sodapop looked at me.

"A Coke." I looked at the waitress

"Two Cokes." She wrote on her pad. "I'll be right back." She walked away quickly.

Soda turned his attention back to me. "So wait, what?

"He ran off on us when I was thirteen. Left with another woman and just disappeared. I haven't seen him since. I don't care to." I shrugged. "He's just another example of why I gave up on guys. Men are all animals."

The waitress came back with our Cokes, setting them down in front of us along with two straws. We both thanked her, but Soda cocked his head.

"Really." he stared at me with such a straight face it was comical. "You mean there's not one guy who's pretty much your best friend that you're hanging out with right now or anything?"

I took a straw and twisted it out of it's wrapper. "I mean, there is this one guy..." I paused, looking up at him. "Fine. You aren't an animal." I said, and placed the straw in his Coke.

He chuckled, his eyes lighting up. "But your dad's not the only reason you gave up on boys, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well who was it?"

"I mean, I've had a few boyfriends before, and I'm not innocent, I've broken hearts, but there was this guy I was hanging out with. It sucked. I'd known him for months." I stopped, and looked up at Soda, who seemed really interested in everything, nodding for me to continue. So I did.

"We weren't even dating, and then he ended up just playing me. He lead me on. I had to get over a guy who was never my boyfriend, and it made me mad. Yeah, we were never officially together, but we talked about everything. We had everything in common. We got so close. It broke my heart when I found out about this other girl. He chose this obnoxious, trashy girl over me. And it made no sense. And I felt horrible."

Soda looked at me. "I've had that happen before. It sucks. You feel awful."

I shook my head. "It doesn't matter."

We were interrupted once more by the waitress taking our orders. After she had left, I took a deep breath.

"Why'd you give up girls, Soda?"

He sucked in a breath, biting his lip. "Oh boy. Well this is quite the long story-"

"We have time." I said.

He shook his head. "There was this girl I'd been seeing. Sandy. We'd been together for years, I loved her more than anything. I've dated a lot of girls, but I'd never met anyone quite like Sandy. She just understood me. And she was funny and beautiful and wonderful in every way. Earlier this year, things were going great. I wanted to marry her. I told my brother, Ponyboy I was. I wanted to get a better job so I could buy us a place to live. We could start a family. I thought I had my whole life figured out."

He stopped. I wanted to prompt him to continue but he did without me offering.

"Than one day she came by my house. She said she had to talk to me. Her parents were sending her to live in Florida with her grandma. I asked her why, I didn't want her to leave. She gave me this look, and said she was pregnant."

My mouth dropped open. He looked at me.

"That was my reaction too. I'd fooled around with Sandy, I knew it was possible, but it had only been a few times. I told her I'd help take care of it. That it was ours, it was the right thing to do." his eyes narrowed suddenly. "Than she said something I never thought I'd hear. Maybe from trailer trash but not from my girl, not from Sandy. She said it wasn't mine."

"Oh, golly, Sodapop-" I started but he wasn't finished.

"I remember staring at her. Than I have no clue what crossed my mind, but I told her I'd take care of it. Back than, I wanted her, that's all I wanted. Looking back, I realize I was desperate. I would have never wanted to. But with Ponyboy and Johnny gone, everything familiar was being torn away from me. And I wanted to hang on to something tangible. And it was Sandy."  
>He paused. "And once she was really gone, I was so sad at first. She was my future, everything I wanted. When did she do it? With whom? How often, how long had this been going on without me knowing about i? I wrote her letters, trying to tell her how I felt, but she would send them back, unopened, unread, uncared for. I meant nothing. Than I got mad. How could she have done that to me? After everything. She lied to me. I was so disappointed. I lost all respect for her."<p>

Soda's eyes were filled with the sadness again that I saw when he had been talking about his dad.

"Soda." On a whim I reached out and touched his hand lightly. "Sometimes people will surprise you Soda. They'll end up being the last thing you thought they would be."

He nodded. "I know, I know. That makes so much sense."

Talking about Sandy made me realize how pathetic I was for thinking Brad was a big deal. Soda's problem with Sandy made my situation look amazing.

"But Lucy." he looked up at me, grinning. "You can't give up on all guys. Because where will that get you? You'll get over Brad, I know you will, and I really hope you will. You're a great girl. And any guy who can't see that, and doesn't want you is a goof."

I felt my face get hot, the rush of blood to my cheeks was overpowering. Nobody had ever said anything so sweet and simple and honest like that to me. "Thanks, Soda." I looked down.

"So don't give up. Because yeah, I gave up for awhile, but lately I've been thinking it wouldn't be so bad if I let my guard down and fell in love again. I'd like to have a wife and a family." He leaned back in his seat and smiled at me.

Golly. It took a moment for me to recover.

I shrugged. "I don't know. I could live on my own."

"It'd be quite lonely." he tilted his head, eyes dancing, laughing.

By the time we were done eating and talking, it was late and practically no one was in the diner. They were playing some music, some doo-wop, and I hummed along.

Soda paid and we walked outside into the parking lot. "Come over here." He lead me to a little wooded area that had a small bench and clearing that was covered by a canopy of trees.

We sat down on the bench.

"So you never told me you were in the musical, or that you could dance." he leaned back against the bench, shifting to face me.

"I was. I do." I smiled, humming still to the music that was being blasted in the parking lot. I could hear from over here. It was nice.

"Hmm, I've never danced before you should show me some moves." He stood up.

"No, bad idea." I stared at his hand which was now extended towards me.

"Come on, dollface."

"Never." I gave him a skeptical look.

"Please." he pouted.

I sighed. "Fine." I stood up, ignoring his hand.

Just as I stood up the song changed. It was a ballad, a slow song, and I shrugged. "It's a slow song now, I can't slow dance."

"I can." Sodapop smiled, taking a step towards me. "I'll teach you."

"I'll break your foot." I exclaimed. I'd step all over them, being the klutz I was.

"Hmm, on purpose, or on accident?" He tilted his head.

"It depends on how much longer you insist on this."

"Well I'd definitely rather have it be on accident." He reached out and pulled me close, his hands on my waist.

My first instinct was to pull away. But it was Sodapop. We were just friends, and for some reason I couldn't force myself to beat it out of there. I felt like I had to stay.

I recognized the song now, "In The Still Of The Night" by Dion. Soda must have too, because he hummed along with the melody, swaying back and forth.

_In the still of the night_

_I held you, held you tight_

_Because I love, love you so_

_Promise I'll never let you go_

_In the still of the night_

I took the time to notice how my face came right to his shoulder, how he smelled like leather and something else I couldn't put my finger on. I just knew it smelled good, and it took all my willpower not to bury my face in his neck and stay there. But friends didn't do that, and we were only friends.

_Oh I remember_

_That night in May_

_The stars were bright up above_

_Oh I hope, and I pray_

_To keep your precious love_

There were a bunch of things about Soda that I never noticed. You couldn't see it until you were up close. His eyelashes were long, super long, that's what made his big brown eyes stand out and sparkle so much.

_So before the light_

_Hold me again_

_With all of your might_

_In the still of the night_

His skin was so warm against mine, and I turned my head upwards to look at him. His cheek was touched mine, soft and smooth against my own, and I felt that awful blush creeping up again as I looked down again.

As the song came to an end, I thought about our night, and everything we had told each other, how good the food was, how he paid- wait what?

"Soda!" I exclaimed, pulling away. He looked startled.

"What?"

"You paid!"

A cocky grin spread across his face. "Yeah, I'm surprised you didn't notice. I kept you busy enough for you not to, though."

I sighed "Not fair! You said we'd split!"

He shrugged. "Come on, Lucy. It was my treat."

I went to object, but I didn't. Instead, he took me home in the old truck I had begun to feel comfortable in.****

**Okay, this might be my favorite chapter so far! What do you guys think? I couldn't stop writing it! I'm starting to love this! Lol.**

**Shoutouts to a handful of my awesome reviewers and loyal readers!**

**alley925  
>sodapopgirl17<br>PrettyVacant79  
>the person whose too lazy to log in xD<br>lovergirl85**

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	13. Party

**Okay guys, loved your reviews! SHOUT OUTS TOOOOO:  
>Estrella<br>PerfectTwo**

**I know I only got 4 reviews from the last chapter, but I wrote a bunch of chapters this weekend and I was so excited to post this one...so yeah! Be thankful, because I don't think I ever would have gotten that 5th review! So you might have never gotten this chapter. **

**I'm getting so excited about this story! And I have so many ideas for more...so anyways, ENJOY!**

I took a deep breath and walked through the bar area of the house. Buck's? Was that the name I'd heard Sketch throw out to me before practically forcing me to come here? He had mentioned a huge 'awesome' party that we 'had to check out', but I couldn't figure out why we were here. It didn't seem like a high school party.

It was about one week after I had danced a the diner with Soda, and I was on yet another double date with Sketch Richards. We had become used to each others company and pretty much made a truce to tolerate each other during these awkward outings Joey and Gabi had dragged us into. Well, this night we had been at a party some Soc had while his parents were away, but Sketch suggested we'd come here instead. After arguing for a bit, I finally gave in, but when he ditched me at the front door, I knew this was a bad idea.

People were everywhere, drunk, laughing, partying. Girls with caked-on makeup and short skirts were giving me nasty glares, so I resorted to sitting on a couch, waiting until I could catch a glimpse of my so-called 'date' and looking around self-consciously. The people here weren't in high school. They looked older, old enough to be in college, but they probably weren't. Couples were everywhere. Making out, holding each other. It was gross and undignified.

Of course, creepy looking guys were staring at my chest and I was about ready to start crying, when one of them actually approached me.

"Hiya sweetie, can I get you something to drink?" his breath smelled of beer and smoke and I instantly wanted to puke, but I swallowed and smiled.

"A Coke is fine." I was thirsty, so I figured it wouldn't hurt as the guy disappeared off.

I sat there, focusing on the patterns in the stained, worn sofa, when suddenly, Sketch plopped down beside me, moving in close enough that some of those creepy men looked away.

"Hey, Lucy. Sorry about leaving you back there. But I was thinking..."

He was interrupted by one of his friends Nate sitting on his opposite side. He nodded at Nate then turned back to me.

"What were you thinking?" I asked him.

He smelled like whisky, and he was most likely intoxicated, as he had brought a flask on our date and continuously was sipping from it. He also had a beer in his hand now.

"So, we've been hanging out a little bit lately, and I couldn't help but notice something." He slung an arm behind my back, resting on the back of the couch. I moved in closer to hear him over the sound of the loud music.

The creepy guy came back with my Coke, looking pissed when he saw me with Sketch, and I just smiled sheepishly, thanking him and took the Coke, guzzling it down right away. I dropped the empty cup on the floor along with a million others.

"Notice what?" I asked Sketch.

"That you-" he paused, burping, "have a crush on me."

"Oh gosh. Stop talking now Richards." Nate spoke over Sketch's shoulder. "Lucy, don't mind him. He's totally trashed."

I smirked at Nate's remark and decided that I shouldn't argue with Sketch. "Yeah, you're right. I can't help it."

He smiled, leaning back and practically losing his balance, pointing a finger at me. "I know. You can't. And I understand why. I'm a year older than you, popular, and always up for fun. And you want a guy like me. You look up to me."

"No, no, no." Nate was shaking his head.

I nodded. "I know."

"And it's sad for you we can't be together."

"It is." I agreed.

"Cool, I'm glad we talked about it. See, Nate? I told you she'd understand." he turned around and looked at Nate, whose head was in his hands, baffled.

"Sketch. We've _never_. Talked about this." Nate shook his head, smiling.

"I know, man. I know. So thanks for understanding Lucy." he tried to stand up, but fell over.

That set Nate off into a laughing fit.

"Is he your ride home, Lucy?" Nate asked, looking pitifully at Sketch who had collapsed back where he was on the couch.

"I can walk." I nodded, realizing now how screwed I really was.

"I'll take care of you two." he winked at me.

"Thanks." I smiled, then looked at Sketch. "I should probably go get him some water."

"Good idea. I'll stay here with him." Nate sighed, looking pitifully at his intoxicated friend.

As soon as I stood up a wave of dizziness and nausea overtook me, like a headrush, only worse. I stumbled forward into some girl who shoved me off her. I straightened up, feeling sick. I started shaking and trembling and I couldn't stop, but the sick feeling went away and I continued to walk forward, feeling a bit better. After a few minutes of blindly shuffling my feet forward, being pushed around by dancing, partying people, I found the bar, which was where I raised my hand, opening my mouth.

"Water." I managed and the bartender-who looked nothing like a bartender and more like a teenage boy - handed me a cup. It was supposed to be for Sketch but I took a sip for myself, to realize it wasn't water, but beer.

I'd had beer before at parties, but I never cared for the taste, or the lack of self-control I had after drinking too much of it, like right now. But this wasn't from the beer. The only thing I had drank tonight was a Coke. I felt completely horrible. My legs started feeling weak, and I leaned against the bar.

"Water!" I spoke a bit louder, and this time was handed a cup. I took a sip and felt a bit better.

What could have made me this sick? Did I have the flu? It came on so fast, though.

I began walking back to where Sketch was, but my mind went completely blank. I forgot everything. I couldn't remember where I was, or who I was.

A guy stepped up to me. "Hiya sweets. Where's your boy?"

My boy? "I don't...I don't have a boy." I slurred, unaware of everything, answering his question. Was that even the right answer?

"Oh really?" the guy's voice was scratchy and horrible in my ear. He took my waist and I couldn't move, I just fell forward into him. I tried to push away but my body wouldn't let me. "How was your Coke?"

"I wouldn't. No." My words made no sense, not even to myself, but I couldn't grasp anything. What was Coke?

"Stop." I yelled, but my voice came out as a whisper, one that couldn't be heard over the crowds of people.

The man led me through the crowd, that was now thicker than ever, louder than ever. My head pounded to the beat of the awful music being played, and in a corner he started kissing me. I tried to pull away, I really tried. I resisted as much as I could but it wasn't enough.

"Stop!" I said with more force that time, but he pressed himself against me, growling.

"You shut up and cooperate." his voice was like gravel and I felt him,_ it_, against my thigh. This sent me into overdrive, I immediately squirmed and pushed him away, but to my horror, he only moved closer, pressing me into that corner where no one would ever find me in this mess. No one knew what was going on.

Then suddenly, the man was pulled off me. Without him to hold me up I fell against the wall, and slumped downwards.

"What the hell do you think you're doing to her?"

"Back off, blondie this is my girl. Get your own." the man's awful voice reached me, my stomach turned.

I heard the sickening sound of something cracking.

"Lucy." A familiar, but angry voice snapped me out of it.

"Lucy!" It spoke again, louder and more upset. "Stand up."

I opened my eyes and could see him, his blonde hair and brown eyes clouded over. He was pissed.

I managed to stand up with his help, and the creepy man was laying on the ground now, his nose and mouth were bleeding. He was struggling to stand up.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing here getting drunk?" His arm was around him shoulders, holding me close to him. But it was only because I could barely stand up. He was supporting me. We began walking through the crowd of people again. I hated crowds of people.

We got out into the fresh air outside. No one else was out here, just us. The blast of clean air shocked me. He immediately let go of me and I fell to the ground near some shrubbery, my legs tucked underneath me. The dirt was going to ruin my dress.

"Can you tell me Lucy, just what you thought you were doing in there?" The boy who saved me spoke. He was crouched down in front of me, condescendingly.

The boy was gorgeous. He looked familiar.

But my stomach turned and I immediately turned away from him, standing up and getting sick into the bushes behind me. I took a few steps back and fell again on the ground. I honestly hated getting sick, but I felt a lot better now.

I turned back around to the boy. I knew him. He had a name. "Sodapop." I said out loud.

His eyes were narrowed at me, but when I spoke his name concern filled his eyes. "Lucy, how'd you get so drunk?"

"I didn't." I shook my head.

"Than explain why I had to pull some creep off of you that you weren't even resisting. He could have hurt you! Why are you here?" he shook my shoulders, demanding an answer.

I shook my head. "I don't know. Some of my friends were. They took me." I remembered that, at least.

"I didn't think you were a trashy girl, Lucy. I thought you were above all that." He was disappointed.

"I am." I spoke, sincere, feeling a bit better. I knew I wasn't drunk. I knew I wasn't. I would have never. I didn't have but a sip of beer. Why couldn't I remember?

"I guess your theory was right. People will surprise you." He looked disgusted. "You the living proof." he practically spat.

Suddenly everything came back. "Soda! It wasn't me. I didn't get drunk. That guy gave me Coke when I was with Sketch and when I stood up it's like I forgot everything and I couldn't move or think or talk." I slurred quickly and nervously.

Soda stared at me for a moment.

"I'm not lying. I'm not like that. You have to believe me." I said, my stomach turned again.

Soda looked at me and instantly I wanted his respect back.

"You have to Soda. You know me." I was desperate.

"Okay." he said after a long pause. "I believe you."

"Thank you." I said, feeling dizzy. I steadied myself with one hand on the ground.

Suddenly Soda looked pissed. "He drugged you Lucy." Soda stood up. "Where is he anyways? Why would he do that to you?"

"No, Soda!" I stood up and reached out towards him. I was dizzy, so dizzy, and my veiw of Soda's face became blurred in front of me. He took a step towards me, looking concerned and worried.

"Lucy," he said, reaching towards me.

That's when everything went black.

**Oh yeah, cliffy :)**

**5 more reviews or I won't post the next chapter xD love ya'll...**

**Oh. On a completely unrelated note, for those of you who are Hunger Games fans and LOVE (and I mean LOVE) Finnick Odair, than here's some food for thought. In The Outsiders, Ponyboy is supposed to have reddish hair and green eyes and when I was reading The Outsiders for the millionth time the other day, I was like "FINNICK!", cause they probably look alike...so yeah. Cause Finnick had green eyes and bronze hair...yeah. It may not be a big deal for some of you, but it's a big deal to me xD.**

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	14. Home

**Shoutouts:**

**My oh mighty - don't you worry about that, they will, believe me, good things come to those who wait xD**

**Sodapop90210**

**Aislinn101**

**IronicMango**

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**Alright here's the continuation. xD Hope you like ittt! **

When I came to, I was rocking back and forth, feeling sick, and awful again. I could at least remember things. I felt uncomfortable, unsafe.

"Oh good, you're up." Sodapop's voice broke my thoughts. He was at the wheel, glancing over at me.

I realized I was hunched down in the passenger's side of his car, my neck was pretty much at a ninety degree angle with the seat. It hurt. And my legs were splayed in front of me. I quickly crossed my legs, feeling trashy. My stomach turned.

"I am? Why didn't you wake me up? Here I am passed out in the seat beside you and you don't-"

"Lucy, relax." He interrupted, and so I did.

"Are you taking me to the hospital?" I sat up quickly, turning to him. "I don't want to go to the-"

"Lucy, calm down. I'm taking you to my place." He interrupted me again. None of the things he was saying were really processing in my brain.

Feeling woozy, I hunched down in the seat again, not responding.

I briefly wondered what time it was but could barely speak. The car slowed and we pulled into a driveway. Soda unbuckled himself and slammed his door shut, walking to my side. I struggled to push myself upwards but my arms wouldn't cooperate. I slumped into a dizzy mess back down on the seat.

My door opened and Soda stood. He reached one hand out and put it on my face. His hand was cool, and felt good on my hot face.

"Wow, you're warm." he frowned, putting the back of his hand to my forehead. "Do you have chills?"

"No," I sat up, shaking but managed to get my feet out of the car.

"Do you need help?" he asked, reaching out.

"No, I'm fine." I hissed quickly, putting weight on both my feet. I wobbled a bit, and Soda reached out to grab me, chuckling.

"What's so funny?" I asked him.

"Nothing." he straightened his smirk and got serious, putting his arm over my shoulders to help steady me.

Thats when the shaking began. I couldn't tell you why or how but suddenly I felt so scared and wanted more than anything for this night to be over. I wanted to forget everything. I think Soda noticed it immediately.

"Lucy?" He looked directly at me.

"Hi." I squeaked, and felt my eyes starting to fill with tears.

"Lucy, it's okay." He pulled me to his chest and rubbed my back. I wrapped my arms around him and forced myself not to cry.

"You're alright. You're okay. Everything's okay."

He cheek was pressed up against my hair.

"I know," I sniffed. Soda pulled away and gripped my shoulders.

"Your alright." He wiped a tear that had managed to escape down my right cheek, leaving a sticky feeling behind, but I didn't even care. His hand was rough, but comforting. I took a deep, shaky breath.

"I can walk by myself." I insisted, but I knew it wasn't true. I just didn't like feeling helpless like I did now. I managed to make it inside, leaning on Soda. He was patient with me, and I appreciated it.

Soda called out when we got in. "Hey Darry? Can you get me a glass of water and a cool rag?"

I'd never been inside Sodapop's house before. It was small, and it wasn't real nice or anything, but it was pretty clean and smelled nice, like chocolate cake. Ponyboy, who I knew from school and from hanging out with Sodapop, was sitting on the couch along with three other guys. A tall dark-haired muscular guy with pale green eyes stood up. I guessed it was Darry. With one glance at me, he didn't even ask any questions, just went into the kitchen. I really hoped I didn't look that horrible.

I recognized Steve, who I met the time I ran into Soda at the movies, and so the only guy I didn't know was the one with bronze-ish hair, long sideburns, and a cocky grin. Soda sat me on the couch.

"Lucy?" Ponyboy asked. I nodded at him briefly. Ponyboy looked a lot like Sodapop, I noticed. But much younger, with darker hair and lighter eyes. All the Curtis boys were handsome, I thought.

"What's the matter Soda?" Asked the guy who must be Darry, returning with the rag and water. My hand shook slightly as I took it from him, but it felt good on my burning throat once I had taken the first sip.

"What happened Lucy?" asked Steve. I had only met him once, but he seemed interested.

I opened my mouth but Soda spoke before me, spitting out the whole story.

"I had to run over to Buck's house to drop off something, and I found her. Some guy drugged her drink or something, and he was trying to get his way with her. Anyways, I knocked his lights out and we beat it out of there, and I was furious. Once we got outside, she threw up and passed out and couldn't remember anything-"

"It didn't go in that order." I interrupted him, mumbling and looking down at my now-dirty dress. The guys all chuckled.

Soda ignored me and continued. "-so I considered taking her to the hospital, but didn't, because I didn't think she'd appreciate that-"

"I wouldn't have." I took another sip of water.

Soda just shook his head. "Would you let me talk?-so I-"

"No." I grinned at him and he gave me a surprised look, shaking his head again. And I had no idea where this was coming from considering I had just been fighting tears in the driveway. I just wanted to redeem myself in front of Soda after being a complete wreck earlier. I didn't want him to see me as being weak. I hated being seen as weak more than anything else. Especially in front of a guy like Soda.

Soda took a deep, patient breath. "So anyways, I brought her here."

I wanted my home though. Soda's house seemed fine, it wasn't that, I just wanted to cry into my brother's shoulder and hear my mom's soothing voice. After everything that happened I wanted a shower and my bed. I didn't say this though, because I could barely think straight and the sassy remarks that had been coming out of my mouth were nothing like the normal me.

"What were you doing at Buck Merrill's place?" asked the sideburn guy. "I'm Two-Bit, by the way."

Two-Bit? I didn't even ask. I'd had it with these boys and their crazy names.

"My friend Sketch took me. I was on a double date with him, and he took me there and was totally wasted."

"A double date?" Soda asked, looking surprised.

I shook my head. "Not really, we keep getting dragged along by our lovebird friends. He insisted we ditched the party they were at and come to Buck's."

"Oh." Sodapop settled in the place beside me, his arm touching mine. "By the way, this is Darry, my older brother."

Darry had settled on the floor in front of me, and turned around, smiling gently. I saw how they were all three brothers. There was something in the smile.

"Hi Darry." I smiled weakly. "I've heard alot about you."

"Good things I hope." he grinned.

I nodded "Only good things."

Sodapop chuckled beside me.

Two-Bit and Steve stood up. "We're leaving now." Said Two-Bit, and he looked at me. "Nice meetin' ya, Lucy." He said and within a few minutes, they had left.

I just sat on the couch staring straight at the TV after they left. I wasn't talking, or drinking the water or anything. I was getting scared, and I wanted to be home more than anything. Ponyboy got up and smiled at me, and told me he hoped I'd feel better, than headed off to bed. Darry went into the kitchen to clean up. Soda sat with me for a bit.

"Are you okay, Lucy?"

I shrugged, afraid that if I talked I would burst into tears.  
>I guess it made sense that the shock of everything was just now hitting me. I found an old clock on the wall and saw the time 1:03. My curfew was 12:00. I was screwed. Now I'd get it.<p>

I fought the tears as hard as I could but one escaped and ran down my face. I wiped it off, rubbing my eyes quickly. Soda took my hand and looked at me. I didn't hold his hand back, in fact, I pulled it away. I felt horrible and I just wanted to see David and mom and Charlie and even Mikey.

"I want to go home." I managed, my voice cracking.

"Are you okay, Lucy?" He asked me again and I shook my head, burying my face in my hands.

"I just want to go home." I said, wiping the tears from my eyes.

"Okay." he smiled weakly after I peeked at him from between my fingers. "Come on then."

Soda said goodbye to Darry and he handed me one of his old jackets for the ride home. I never noticed how cold the night was. I slipped into it and smelled smoke, leather and that smell I couldn't put my finger on. I could walk pretty well by myself by now, Soda still stood close, concerned as I walked to the car.

I didn't say anything for most of the ride there. I felt bad, I wanted to let Soda know it wasn't him, he wasn't the reason I was being like this, but I couldn't force myself to talk because I knew I would cry.

He helped me out of the car once again and led me to my front door, I now faced myself for the wrath of my mother and my brother, and Mikey who would probably kill me for being with Sodapop.

It was Charlie who answered the door immediately.

"Lucy," he looked at me, "Oh my, Lucy we've been so worr-"

I threw myself into his arms and sobbed horribly. "Charlie." I managed.

"It's alright Bitsy, it's okay."

"Is that her, Charlie?" I heard my mom's voice. "Oh, Lucy we were about ready to call the cops after you."

"I'm sorry," I cried into Charlie's chest. I heard the pattering of feet down the hallways where our rooms were and saw David.

"Bitsy, your home." He grabbed me around my waist and held onto me tightly. He started crying, which made things a whole lot harder for me.

"David, don't cry I'm okay." I reached down and ruffled his dark hair.

"And you are?" My mother asked and I had completely forgotten about Sodapop standing behind me.

"I'm, uh. It's nice to meet you, I'm Sodapop. I'm sorry she's home so late. I found her at a party, some guy had slipped something into her drink."

My mom gasped. "Please, please come in."

**Soda's POV**

"Charlie." she mumbled into the guys chest. But it was funny, I knew who it was before she had said it. I just knew from everything Lucy had said about him.

"It's alright, Bitsy, it's okay." he said, smoothing down her hair, sighing. It reminded me of Darry really, the way he cared for us seemed to be the same way Charlie cared for Lucy and his siblings.

Bitsy? I felt invisible, and horrible. Was it me? Or did she just now realize how serious the situation was? I hoped it was the latter.

"Is that her, Charlie?" I heard a woman's voice approaching. Probably her mom, I guessed. "Oh, Lucy we were about ready to call the cops after you."

Lucy's mom was pretty, she looked alot like Lucy, but much older, more worn down and tired. She looked realived now that Lucy was there, though.

"I'm sorry," Lucy mumbled.

A young, brown-haired little boy came running towards her.

"Bitsy, your home." He grabbed me around her waist and held onto her. He started crying, too. I started to feel like I was going to cry. I felt bad. But where would she be now if I hadn't done something?

I noticed a blonde-haired boy standing behind Lucy's mom. He was glaring at me, but with a sort of brooding respect. He looked my age. Mikey, I figured from what Lucy had told me.

"David, don't cry, I'm okay." Lucy sniffed, composing herself, slightly.

"And you are?" Lucy mom turned to me, she looked kind of upset, like this was my fault. I was caught off guard. But I opened mouth and started stuttering.

"I'm, uh. It's nice to meet you, I'm Sodapop Curtis. I'm sorry she's home so late. I found her at a party, some guy had slipped something into her drink." It was a really horrible quick summary, but it seemed to do the trick, because her mom let me in.

"Please, please come in." she said, gasping. "Charlie, why don't you help your sister upstairs? I'll be up in a second, sweetheart." She said to Lucy.

Lucy gave me a half hearted smiled through her tears and followed her older brother up the stairs. David, the little one, padded after them.

I stepped inside but didn't want to get comfortable.

"Michael, you can leave now." she waved him off. He squinted at me in a really condescending way that kinda made me mad, but I shrugged it off as he walked away.

"Now, I'm Lucy's mom." She reached out her hand, trying to be formal, but I could tell how worried and nervous she was. I shook her hand back. "Now, what exactly happened tonight?"

I relayed to her the whole story of me finding Lucy at Buck's, with that sleazebag on top of her, when she got sick and passed out. But I left out bringing her back to my place, since that only lasted about a half an hour anyways.

Lucy's mom listened, sounding concerned.

After she had processed it all, she told me I could leave, telling me it was nice to meet me despite these "unfortunate circumstances".

"It was nice to meet you too." I managed.

But as I walked out the door, she stopped me. "Sodapop?" She used my name this time, instead of ''.

"Yes?" I saw the fear in her eyes.

"Thank you for bringing her home to us. I don't know where she'd be right now if you weren't there tonight."

"It's no problem. Anyone would have done the same thing. You're daughter is an amazing, beautiful girl."

I don't know what made me add the last part, but I did. It was true, anyways. Then, I walked into the cool night to head home.

***5* REVIEWS TO NEXT POST! Tell me what you think please!**


	15. Until You Come Outside

**Thanks! For the reviews!:**

**Anon**

**HelloClaire **

The next week I stayed home from school on Monday, because my mom -being the nurse she is- kept me home and took me to the hospital to make sure everything was okay, even though I felt fine. They admitted me and put my on a saline drip for a couple hours so they could run some tests, but at the end of the day there wasn't much else they could do except tell me to drink a lot of water and take things easy that week.

My mom had been mad at first that I agreed to go to a party at someone's house who I didn't even know, and she didn't want me around Sketch anymore, which was fine, because although he was never directly mean to me, his carelessness Saturday night could have got me hurt worse than was.

Sodapop had left quite an impression on my mom, though, which didn't surprise me, I'd be thankful if someone had basically saved my daughter's life. Even Mikey couldn't complain about me being around Sodapop.

"Who knows where you'd be if it weren't for that boy." My mom had said as all my brothers sat on the edge of the bed later on that night. I had immediately met Mikey's eyes, he had given me a glare but that would be the end of that. I never heard him complain about Soda again, because as much as we didn't get along, I was his sister, and he loved me. And I loved him.

As for Soda, he'd called three times that week. Three times I stared Charlie, who would call my name, standing in the kitchen with his hand over the receiver.

"Tell him I'm not here!" I would whisper fiercely.

He would shake his head, glaring, disappointed, scornful. There was no reason for me to be so pointlessly cruel to Soda and I knew it. I didn't know why I was afraid of talking to him, I just was. I wanted time to myself, and I knew it was horribly selfish and he was probably calling to make sure everything was okay, but I couldn't do it. I just accepted myself for the awful person I was and promised Charlie I'd call him back...eventually.

On Friday night, I was the last one to bed, my mom was out with some friends, and everyone else was fast asleep, exhausted. School ended in one month, and the teachers were already loading on the work to make up for what we hadn't covered that year. I was pretty tired, but that week had been bad for sleep.

I laid down in my bed, and in the dim light I stared at the jacket Sodapop had lent me. My mom had washed it, so it was now folded nicely and didn't smell like Soda anymore. I hadn't allowed myself to touch it or even look at it since my mom had put it in the chair. But now I was, and I couldn't keep my mind from racing.

This was what was bothering me the most. I couldn't sleep that week because whenever I closed my eyes it was an instant replay of everything. I couldn't shake the feeling of that man's body against mine, the smell of the smoke and beer on his breath. It was funny how I forgot it all that night, but now it was crystal clear, threatening me in my dreams. Whenever I looked in the mirror I saw a girl with purple rings under her eyes and hollowed cheeks. Sleeping, eating. It was hard. And now it seemed nothing could help me. I didn't want to bother my family with these trivial worries. It was beyond pathetic,too, because things could have been so much worse for me.

As I closed my eyes, I heard a faint tap on my window, and I assumed it was a tree brushing one of its branches up against the glass. I snuggled down into my sheets more, praying for sweet dreams, when I heard it again.

It wasn't a tree branch, because this was louder, more deliberate. I sat up in bed, tilting my head, waiting, listening.

Tap.

That's it. Those damn neighborhood pranksters that lived next door. I pushed my curtains aside, opening up the window, preparing to yell. If they thought they could-

But it wasn't my obnoxious neighbors. No, it was Sodapop, who was winding up to throw another rock.

"Soda!" I whisper-yelled his name into the darkness just as he released another rock. It came flying at my face. I quickly dodged it and it landed on my floor with a muted thud. "What are you doing?" I hissed.

"Oh, hey Lucy!" I saw his wide grin in the moonlight.

"Don't 'Hey Lucy!' me!" I narrowed my eyes. "What are you doing?"

He shrugged. "I wanted to see you. After last weekend I wanted to make sure you were okay."  
>His head was tilted back, he was gazing at me.<p>

"I'm fine." I paused. "How'd you know this was my room?""

"Well, I guessed." He confessed, smiling mischievously.

"Oh great, so what other people in my house did you wake up?" I felt some tension leave my body and I smiled.

"This window was my first guess. Come down here." He gave me a crooked grin that made my stomach jump.

I groaned. "But Soda I was about to sleep and it's cold and I'm tired."

He stared at me, straight-faced. "Fine, I'll just leave then..." he started slowly turning around and walking away. "...and I'll go home knowing that Lucy hates me."

The guilt trip. Soda was great at that. I pulled my window shut and tiptoed downstairs and slipped out the front door quietly.

When I got outside, he was actually walking away.

"Soda, wait up!" I called him and he turned around, looking a bit upset but when he realized it was me his face lit up.

"I thought you left me." He tilted his head.

"Nah." I stepped close to him and he pulled me into a hug. My face was against his chest, and I didn't even think to fight. Not there, when it was cold outside and he was so warm and he smelled so good. And I thought how easy it might be to stay there and never him let go. I pushed that thought away though. No boys.

"But are you okay? I was worried about you." His cheek pressed against my hair and he pulled me closer.

"I'm okay." I mumbled into his white cotton shirt. "I'm fine."

"Good." he patted my back but let me go.

Golly, why did I feel so flustered after that? We're only friends.

"Let's go for a walk." He grabbed my hand to pull me along for a second, but let go when I didn't hold it back.

"Okay." I managed, following him.

We walked to a park a couple blocks away where he sat down on the ground and laid on his back. I laid down beside him.

"So...who's Bitsy?" He asked me.

I laughed. "It's a nickname. I don't even remember how I got it. I just know that's what my family has always called me."

He chuckled, looking at the sky.

"I called you this week." He said after a long silence.

"Yes?"

"Lucy, why didn't you want to talk to me?" he rolled onto his side and looked at me. He was disappointed, I could tell.

"I was gone."

"I could hear you Lucy. In the background. You lied. Why?" He didn't seem mad, more sad than anything.

"Oh, golly, Sodapop." I felt myself blushing. "I'm so sorry. I was scared. Not of you. I was just worried. After everything you saw maybe you didn't think of me as highly as you used to. I don't like crying in front of people and I lost my self control and I couldn't-"

"Lucy." He clucked his tongue, interrupting me. "I don't look down on you. I never could. And it's okay to cry. I don't blame you. You had a rough night. You don't have to be afraid of me."

"So you aren't mad?"

"Nah," he shook his head. "I just wasn't sure why you didn't want to talk to me." He laid back down on the grass, settling beside me, his shoulder touching mine.

"Well I'm sorry." I said quietly. We were silent for a moment, then I spoke. If I couldn't tell my family, I might as well tell Sodapop.

"I can't stop thinking about it Soda." I bit my lip. "Just, everything. The way that man's lips felt against mine, how he pinned me down and wouldn't let me move. I keep seeing it everytime I close my eyes. I just wish that I could stop thinking about it. I wonder what would have happened if you weren't there..." I trailed off.

"Well I was there. Your okay now. I know how you feel. When I was younger I got jumped once, and I couldn't stop thinking about it for awhile. You feel better soon, I promise. And if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here." He reached over and flicked my hair in my face.

I giggled and wiped it away. "I know, Soda."

Once again it was quiet. I looked at him, his eyes were closed, and with the moonlight cast on his face, he looked like some greek god come to earth. I felt my stomach flutter and his eyes opened.

"Lucy, look at the stars." He pointed, and I did.

I looked up at the sky, staring at the crescent moon and the stars that were scattered across the sky like diamonds on black silk.

"They're pretty. Charlie taught me some constellations once when I was little." I tried to point a couple out to Soda.

"Your brothers really love you, don't they?" He spoke.

"Yeah, they do. Except Mikey. Well, I guess he loves me. But not all the time." I sighed.

"That's just family. I'm not always crazy about my brothers either." He chuckled.

"Well, I suppose it's natural, than."

We were quiet for awhile, and I closed my eyes and drifted off.

When I woke up Soda was staring at me, but he seemed to be deep in thought.

"Soda?" I asked.

He blinked and shook his head. "Hmm, yeah?"

"How long was I out?" I asked, fully awake now.

"Only like 5 minutes." He answered.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" I demanded.

"I don't know."

"What's up with you and that?" I sat up, teasing. "You let me pass out in your car and you don't wake me, and I fall asleep in a sketchy park and you just let me sleep!"

"Okay, first of all, this isn't sketchy. Second, you looked exhausted! Third, I would've woke ya anyways!"

"Mhm." I cocked my head.

"Honest." he looked sincere.

"Mhmmmm. Liar." I sighed, laying back down.

"Hey!" he whined, springing on me. I reached up my hands to block him from pouncing on me, and his fingers clasped against mine. I pulled my hands away and he contented himself with placing one arm on each side of me, protectively, almost. I felt that awful blush again. That was like the fifth time tonight he had made me blush, which just made me feel pathetic. "Take it back!"

"No," I stated, holding my ground.

"Take it back!"

"Soda, get off me!"

"What is it, Lucy? Does this-" He leaned closer and his nose was touching mine. He lips were just inches away. Golly. My stomach flipped. "-Make you uncomfortable?"

"I'm only human, ." I managed.

He smirked, leaning back and moving his arms from my sides.

I sat up, looking at him. He was gazing at me with a grin on his face.

"What?" I asked

"Nothin'." He chuckled and I stood up. "Wait, where are you going?"

"Home."

"No, just stay with me for a little bit longer. Please?" he reached out and grabbed my hand, and wouldn't let go.

"Soda, come on. I'm tired." I pulled my hand away.

He let out a really long and exaggerated sigh, but his eyes gleamed with mischief.

"You're a piece of work, ya know that?"

He grinned wildly. "I know. I'll walk you home, if you want."

"That'd be just swell." I smiled.

**ALRIGHT 5 REVIEWS!**

****Guys, just hold out and you'll see what happens between them! Only a few more chapters, okay? I have an idea for a possible sequel, so tell me if that's something you would be interested in or not! Critiquee! Is Lucy still a good character or is she getting Mary-Sueish?****

****Lemme know!****

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	16. Cake Master

**Whew! I barely managed to get this one done! I had AP tests and spring choir shows and everything was just too crazy to write! I also wrote a creepy story for an English project I'm going to post it on FictionPress and Figment if anyone is interested!**

**Anyways, ya'll reviewed amazingly! I got 8 reviews! Shoutouts tooo!**

**peygoodwin**  
><strong>xoxoshami<strong>  
><strong>A.E. Zurita<strong>  
><strong>DoubleEdgedSword99<strong>

**Btw. You only get one shoutout even if you review every chapter, but if you are an avid reviewer you'll get another one once it's over, don't worry!**

**So hopefully you guys enjoy it! Only four more chapters left... :( This one is more of a filler, I thought I'd show she has some social life besides Sodapop.**

"So are you going to prom this year?" Asked my friend Terra. Her blue eyes gleamed.

I shrugged. I hadn't really thought of prom this year, and I didn't really care too either, "I doubt it, unless I get asked."

Terra, Gabi and I were all sitting discussing prom and potential dates to it. Since it was junior year, it was the first year we were allowed to go. I didn't personally care to go, as I previously mentioned, I didn't like going to dances unless it was with someone I really liked, and at this point there were no boys at school who I was very fond of. Coincidentally, I kept thinking of Sodapop in a tux with a boutonniere pinned to its lapel, him grinning and smiling with his arm around my waist, looking nothing less than handsome and dashing, but I shook the thought from my head.

"Well what about this guy Charlie tells me you're out with on the weekends whenever I try to call you?" Gabi asked as I took a bite from my salad.

I choked on my salad, "What?" I practically spat at her.

"Yeah," Terra chimed in, "He always says you're out on dates."

"Do you think Charlie would take me to prom?" Gabi asked, "He's awfully handsome," She added dreamily.

"He does? He answers the phone and tells you this?" I asked Terra, then turned to Gabi, "And no. Hes too old for you." I shook my head at the thought of them together.

"Yes. He does," Terra rolled her eyes.

I furrowed my brow, "Charlie never tells me you two call!"

"That's not the point, sweetie." Terra sat back and Gabi looked at her, sitting back against her chair as well.

"Oh I know." I took a sip from my carton of milk, cringing at the taste. I hated milk.

I hadn't told my friends about Sodapop yet. In fact, I never really considered telling them. Don't ask me why, I don't really know why. I doubted they knew who he was anyways. Plus, unlike Charlie had told them, we weren't 'dating', we were just friends. So our activities on the weekends weren't gossip-worthy anyhow.

"So?" Terra prompted finally.

I set down my fork and sighed. Gabi leaned in to listen.

"Do you know who Sodapop Curtis is?"

Terra and Gabi's jaw dropped and I braced myself. So they did know who he was.

"You mean that gorgeous guy who works at the DX?" Terra was astounded.

"Oh golly! Sodapop's a doll, Lucy!" Gabi smiled, lighting up.

"I can't believe you're dating Sodapop Curtis and you didn't tell us!" Terra grinned, smacking the table loudly. A few other students looked over at us because of our disruption.

"You're kidding, right?' Gabi sat back, her face in an dazed smile.

"Girls!" I hissed, blushing and looking down, "Yes. He's the one," - they both squealed- "But we aren't dating. And of course I'm not kidding. What's that supposed to mean?"

Gabi shrugged, "He just doesn't seem like he'd go for a girl like you. I mean, isn't he kind of a greaser? I suppose it doesn't matter though, he's just such a doll..." She trailed off.

"Isn't he with that one Sandy girl? You know, he goes for girls like that. Wait does she even go here anymore?" Terra chimed in.

I chuckled at my spacey friends but got sober quickly. I didn't even know Sandy went to our school before. I guess I never noticed her.

"No, they aren't together anymore, she moved," I decided to take the shorter version of the story, "And like I once said, we aren't dating."

"I can see it now," Gabi spoke suddenly, "You guys would be adorable together."

"We aren't together!" I exclaimed, exasperated

"He should take you to prom!"

"Is that even allowed, though?"

"It's prom, Gabi."

"Yeah but didn't he drop out-"

"Please! Girls," I hissed, trying to shut them up about this for good, "We're just friends. We aren't dating."

"We'll see how long that lasts," Terra smiled mischievously.

"Come on Lucy. Get on that!" Gabi winked.

I just sighed and clunked my head on the table. They giggled.

"Hey if you're not going to go for him, I will. Just introduce me."

"Isn't Nate Winters a doll?" Terra changed the subject, for which I was thankful. She was looking behind me at Nate Winters, "I wish he would ask me to prom."

"You should go with him, Terra. I'm almost one-hundred percent sure that Joey's going to ask me and you and Nate are good friends. We could go together."

"And Lucy could go with Sketch!"

I groaned loudly, "Yes because I'd love to go to prom with a bottle of whiskey."

Gabi and Terra giggled loudly. They knew what had happened with Sketch, and they were surprised I wasn't more upset about it. But everyone knew he was a rip-roaring drunkard.

"It's okay. She'll just cozy on up to Sodapop that night instead."

I heard the bell chime, indicating lunch was over and I rushed out of there before they could see me blush.

* * *

><p>It was Friday night, and Soda had invited me over. His brothers were out and about and he said we'd make chocolate cake or figure out something to do. I knocked on his front door. I was about 20 minutes early but I figured it wouldn't matter. I wanted this week to be over, it had been stressful with exams and all, but being with Sodapop Curtis always somehow made me relax. I had only 3 days left until the end of the school year, and my mom was taking us on a surprise vacation at the end of next week, too.<p>

Darry opened the door, smiling at me, "Hey Lucy. Nice to see you alive and well!"

I grimaced without realizing it, embarrassed. "Thanks to your brother. He's quite the gem."

Darry laughed. "Sometimes he is. Come on in."

I did and saw Ponyboy sitting on the couch, watching TV. He looked over and smiled at me. "Hey Lucy!"

"Hey Pony."

"I think Sodapop is getting ready right now. You can make yourself comfortable," Darry offered.

"Okay, sounds good." I stepped in a bit further.

Darry and Ponyboy explained they were all going out to meet some friends and I nodded, but we were interrupted.

"Hey Darry did you wash my white - Oh. Hey Lucy."

I looked over to see Sodapop standing in the hallway to their bedrooms. He was clad in only a white towel around his hips, and he was still soaking wet. I immediately looked down at my ballet flats.

"Hey Soda."

"You're early," He said, and I stole a glance at him. he was grinning.

"Soda put some clothes on. You're in the presence of a lady. Have some class." Darry scolded.

"Why? Lucy?"

I ignored him and focused on the ceiling.

"Lucy?" He spoke again.

"What?" I refused to make eye contact.

"Do you find this distract-" He started but was interrupted.

"Sodapop come on, can't you see you're making her uncomfortable?" Pony sat up straighter on the couch, looking back and forth between us.

I wasn't going to lie, Sodapop definitely looked good in only a towel. But I wasn't going to act like I enjoyed it.

I sighed in relief when he retreated down the hallway, mumbling something about there being "no fun in this house".

Darry and Ponyboy apologized on his behalf for his lack of manners and they beat it out of there pretty quickly for their night out. I wanted to tell them not to leave me alone now that Soda had made it awkward, but I just smiled and waved goodbye.

Once they left, I looked at a few pictures hanging on the wall.

One was the three boys, Soda, Darry and Ponyboy, and a beautiful blonde woman, and a dark haired man. They were all laughing, looking happy, dressed nicely and standing in front of a church. They were all younger though, Darry looked to be only about 17. I felt a pang of sadness.

There were other pictures, too. Like Darry and Ponyboy fishing with their dad, but one in particular caught my attention.

It was Sodapop, dressed in a suit and tie with his arm around a gorgeous blonde. He was beaming, looking proud, and she was grinning at him, her eyes glowing. She was wearing a dress that was a bit too short for my taste, but obviously it was a picture for a dance. It had to be Sandy. I knew it was Sandy. Boy, she was real good looking. Way better looking than me. I gulped, feeling a twinge of something I couldn't place.

"I don't know why will still have that." I never noticed Soda had come and was standing behind me, fully clothed (thank goodness.) "We should get rid of it. I forgot it was there."

I turned to face him and he was eyeing the picture, looking sad. "Gee." He ran his fingers through his still-wet hair, biting his lip. He shook his head quickly, though, changing the subject and turning away from the picture, not getting rid of it like he said he should do.

"So Lucy. I have to make a chocolate cake. Do you know how?" He asked, grinning, all sadness gone.

"Better than you!" I took his hand and looked at the scar on his palm, showing it to him.

"It was one time!" He yanked his hand away, grinning wildly.

"Still, out of the two of us, I'm the cake master."

"Yeah, alright. You keep talking."

"I will."

He chuckled warmly, grinning at me. He led me to the kitchen where he began to remove ingredients from the cabinet.

"So Lucy, what's your full name?"

"Why do you want to know?" I I looked at him, organizing the flour and sugar on the table. The flour was a bit ripped, I would have to watch that later on so it didn't spill.

"Just tell me!"

"Don't make fun of me!" I exclaimed.

"Come on! Tell me."

"Lucille Elizabeth Jensen."

He spun around with a corny grin on his face. "Lucille." He said, his voice was like a dream sometimes.

I flinched. "Alright I said not to make fun of me! What about you?"

"Sodapop Patrick Curtis."

"Patrick." I smirked. "Thats cute."

"If I'm not allowed to make fun of you, than you surely can't make fun of me."

"I'm not making fun, I said it was cute!" I defended.

He laughed. "Oh sure, Lucille. I believe that."

I laughed back and grabbed a spatula. "Soda?"

He turned around from the counter where he was heating up the oven. "Yes darling?"

I felt my stomach flip. They way he talked sometimes, using pet names like that, made me think about what a great husband he would be someday. No. Why was I thinking about this? No boys. No boys. NO BOYS LUCY. He would be a great husband though...to anyone but me. He liked Sandy. He loved Sandy. Not you. He'll find someone. Not me, but he will. But maybe if we ended up nowhere we could- aw hell. I shook my head and ended my train of thought before it took off a bridge or something like that.

"Uh, I'm in charge of the kitchen."

"Since when?"

"...Since I'm a woman..." I said quietly, looking at myself than at my spatula.

He stared at me for a moment before breaking down into hysterics. "I swear Lucy, you kill me sometimes." He was on his knees on the floor laughing. I giggled but spoke up again.

"But seriously Sodapop. Whoever yields the spatula of knowledge gains the - stop laughing it wasn't that funny!" I exclaimed.

"I'm sorry I just...I had a tough week. I needed that." He shook his head. "I needed to see you. I just...you don't know how happy you make me sometimes." He looked up at me.

I felt myself blush, my stomach flip and a goofy grin spread across my face, but I got rid of it.

"Yeah well, you need to focus. Whoever yields the spatula of knowledge gets the cake master privilege and-" I got cut off.

"Give it to me!" He finally composed himself, standing up and grinning.

"No way. You have to be experienced and you can't have injuries from your last cake-making experience."

"Fine. I guess that leave me one choice than."

"What choice is that?"

Instead of answering me, he pounced on me and started tickling me. At first I could resist but after awhile I couldn't breath and all I could do was manage "Stop!" in between ragged breaths of air.

"Give me the spatula!" He whined, holding his hands out, letting me go.

"Fine!" I pouted, handing it to him.

I had come to the conclusion that he was just a very touchy and flirtatious guy, which normally I wouldn't mind, but sometimes it made me uncomfortable, especially with a guy like him.

I just shook my head though and let him take over, deciding it was best to just keep calm and carry on.**  
><strong>

**So I thought this was adorable. And next chapter is a Sodapop POV and there are only a few chapters left! :( I'll be sad it's over, but everyone loves a sequal! xD**

**Anyways, 5 reviews! Seeya soon!**


	17. Kind of  Almost Mine

**Okay so I thought I might post two chapters because you guys are great reviewers and stuff and last chapter was rather short xD And this one is too for that matter!**

**Also Roc2Roll or anyone else who cares, I have links on my profile for most of my OFC in this story including Lucy.**

**Shoutouts to:**  
><strong>mooyoucow35<strong>  
><strong>xbreakingxpaintx<strong>

* * *

><p><em>-Sodapop's POV-<em>

I glanced at Lucy while she was working, mixing the ingredients together in the big bowl. She was concentrated, her nose wrinkled slightly, focused. She pushed her side-swept bands out of her eyes and yawned, which made me yawn, too. She looked over at me and smiled sheepishly.

I had basically accepted the fact i had feelings for Lucy. We weren't just hanging out anymore. We were dating. I think she still was sticking to her 'no boys' plan but I wasn't sure how long that would last because my 'no girls' plan had only lasted a few dates after I met her. I wasn't completely over Sandy yet, I felt like I never would completely recover from that heartache, but Lucille Elizabeth Jensen had sure helped.

I suppose I really realized it at that party when that man was all over her. Not only did I want to protect her from that sort of thing, but if she was ever at a party again, I wanted her to be with me. I wanted her to be my date, not some jerk alcoholic's.

I liked her smile, the dimple on her right cheek whenever she smiled, the way her nose crinkled when she laughed, and most of all I liked her shy personality. I'd never cared for girls who threw themselves at me, and she never did. Her innocence always made me smile.

I walked over and turned on the radio, 'My Girl' by the Temptations was on and I turned it up. I hummed along.

_I've got sunshine on a cloudy day_

_When it's cold outside, I got the month of May_

"Hey Lucy, can you get the flour?" I asked her.

"Sure thing Soda!" I heard her chirp. She moved over to the table and I turned back to the radio. A few moments later, I heard a muted thud and Soda gasped. "Oh no, Sodapop..."

I turned around and Lucy was standing slack-jawed at her hand, holding the ripped top of the bag of flour, and the rest of it was on the floor, exploded all over the kitchen. A fine white dust floated in the air. Lucy looked like she was going to cry.

"Lucille...what'd you do?" I asked, my eyes widening.

She fell to her knees. The bottom of her navy dress would be covered in flour. "I'm so sorry Sodapop, I didn't mean it. I promise, I'll clean it up. It ripped when I grabbed it and...It wasn't my fault I didn't know it...it ripped...I'm so sorry." She started to try to move it in a pile with her hand but it didn't do much. She stared at the ceiling. "Why does this kind of thing always happen to me?"

"Lucy." She looked up at me and I saw she was about ready to cry, she looked flustered and embarrassed. I knelt on the floor. "It's alright. You're okay. It's not your fault. I'll help you."

"Really? I'm so sorry. I'm such an airhead. She itched her cheek and got flour all over it.

"Really, Lucy. It's fine." I flicked some flour at her, "You aren't an airhead."

"Hey." She giggled, flicking some back. I felt relieved she was grinning. That dimple. Agh.

I laughed and threw a handful at her, she ducked and held up an arm to shield herself, but it was useless, the flour spread all over her face and hair.

She closed her eyes and gave a tight-lipped smile. She coughed. "Alright. I'd say you've successfully crossed the line now." She wrinkled her nose and brushed herself off, but there wasn't much use.

I tilted my head. "No, this is crossing the line." I took two handfuls and tossed them at her. She gasped, looking surprised, but quickly became serious.

"I understand what you're trying to do Soda. But I'm afraid cooler minds have prevailed." She said smugly.

I threw two bigger handfuls.

"That's it!" She exclaimed, and I laughed. "You think it's funny, eh? Well bring it on!"

She reached down in the flour and took some, wiping two lines on her face like war paint. That was a good idea, I thought, so I did the same. And so it continued, until we'd successfully covered every surface of ourselves and of my kitchen in flour.

"Well, that was fun." I said after she had surrendered and stood up, brushing her dress off.

"Glory,"she muttered, wiping off her cheeks. Boy she looked cute like that, all flustered and her hair a mess.

"So shall we finish that cake?" I stood up and looked at her.

"Well we need to clean this up first." She looked around.

"We can do it after. Can you get me the flour? There's some in the pantry I think." I walked back over to the counter to continue my measuring job.

"Oh okay." I heard her walk to the pantry. I turned around.

"Now be careful with that flour Lucille. We wouldn't want you to have another accident."

She turned bright red, looking embarrassed, but she was smiling. "Very funny, Sodapop Patrick."

I chuckled.

We finished making the cake and got in in the oven without any other incidents. Than we both cleaned up the kitchen. It took awhile, and by the time we were finished, the smell of chocolate cake had filled the kitchen. Lucy had managed to get all the flour out of her dress. I just took off my plaid shirt that got the brunt of the mess and kept on my white undershirt.

Lucy had a rag and was trying to wipe the flour off her face.

"Hey Lucy," I winked at her and she looked over at me.

"Yes?"

"Want to help me out with that?" I pointed at my face.

She laughed and walked over, standing awkwardly far away from me to wipe off my face.

"Jeez, Lucille, you can get a little closer. I don't have cooties." I remarked and grabbed her waist, pulling her closer.

Her eyes widened and I dropped my arm. She crinkled her nose. "I know. And stop calling me that. I told you not to make fun of my full name."

I cocked and eyebrow at her, "What if I'm not making fun at you at all, and I think you have a beautiful name?"

"Than you must be crazy."

_Only crazy for you, _I thought, but knew better than to say anything.

I looked at her cheek, where she still had a smudge of flour. "You missed some." I rubbed it off with my thumb and felt my hand linger there.

She looked up at me. I noticed how pretty her eyes were up close, a very light green with a dark ring around the outside. I'd never noticed it before.

"You've got some pretty eyes, Lucille."

I felt her cheeks get hot under my hand. If I tried to kiss her, would that be totally inappropriate?

"Thanks, you should check out your own." She immediately pulled away from me and looked at the kitchen.

"So we did a pretty good job cleaning up." She grinned up at me with a sparkle in her eye.

"Yeah." The oven beeped and I strode over to open it up.

"Wait Soda!"

I turned around.

"Be careful. We wouldn't want you to have an accident, now would we?" She grinned cockily, like Two-Bit, looking at my hand.

"Oh look at you, you think you're real funny don't you?" I shot back.

She shrugged. "Only on the weekends..." She paused. "You might want to get an oven mitt, Mr. Curtis."

"Thanks for the advice." I grimaced, grabbing one and removing the cake from the oven.

"Wow, that looks beautiful. I did such a good job." She held a hand over her heart.

"Yeah, you did a good job after you destroyed my kitchen." I crossed my arms.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean-"

"Shh, I know I was just teasing." I giggled, tickling her under her chin. She swatted my hand away.

For the rest of the night we sat watching TV, but we weren't really watching it, we were talking to each other. I liked that I could talk to Lucy about anything. She didn't get scared of serious topics like Sandy or my parents death. She just listened and nodded and always seemed genuinely interested in everything I had to say.

When she had to leave I walked her out to her car and opened the door for her. My parents had always taught me to be a gentleman, so I always was, especially to Lucy. She was quite a lady herself, but it was nice to see a more playful and sassy, different side of her tonight.

Ponyboy and Darry came home soon after, and we were all together again.

"How was you date?" Darry asked, flopping on the couch looking exhausted.

"With your girlfriend?" Ponyboy asked. "She's pretty cute."

"It was good. She's not my girlfriend. And yeah, I'm glad you think so too." I answered all three of their questions.

"Don't you like her though? You have to. You've been inseparable for months." Pony said, looking confused.

"Yeah. It's complicated, though." I shook my head.

"Sandy?"

I shook my head. "No, she doesn't...I don't think she wants to fall in love ever. Or at least she swears she won't."

"Why don't you just talk to her Soda? She seems like a sweet girl." Darry interjected.

"I suppose I should."

"I can't believe you haven't. What's the worst that can happen?"

Try maybe, she'll never talk to me again. But I supposed Darry and Ponyboy were right. If I didn't tell her how I felt, she may never know and I wanted her to know. So I knew what I had to do, I just had to figure out how to do it.

* * *

><p><strong>Soda's gotta crush... xD<strong>

**Welp, 5 reviews! Love ya all!**

**I've been listening to so much 50s/60s rock n roll lately, it's making me wish I lived during this time period so I could have a cute greaser as a boyfriend xD**

**On a totally unrealted note, I just thought I'd point out that if they ever make a remake of The Outsiders, and even though he's supposed to be blonde, Rob Lowe will always be Sodapop in my heart :D And if he wasn't older now, he should play Finnick in Catching Fire... just saying. Please, I hope people agree with this statement.**


	18. Nothing

**In TENTS chapter! I'm so happy today I got my license! xD FREEDDOMMM!**

**Thanks for reviewing!**

**SurferGirl3000**

**I'm glad you guys are enjoying!**

It had been about a month since I last saw Sodapop Curtis. To be honest, as much as I didn't want to admit I was dependant on a member of the opposite sex to be happy, I realized I was. I missed him a lot and I was afraid to admit it. The last week of school had been hectic, I was studying for exams and finalizing things in class. The teachers were trying to cram in all kinds of work possible. Than I had Mikey's graduation stuff to go to and prepare for. We were going on college visits for him and a final signing of a full ride scholarship for baseball that would ship him off and out of the house in August.

Than after all that, my mom took us to the beach for a week. It was an expensive vacation, the last time we went to the beach was when my dad was still around, but my mom insisted that she'd been saving up for a while and it was necessary to get a break. I didn't argue. There was something I loved about the ocean, and she enjoyed it, too. My mom deserved it.

Soda had called me all the while and tried to set dates for us but it didn't ever work out between my hectic life and his work schedule. Us being together was kind of the least of my worries, because he'd be around all summer.

It was a few days after I had gotten back from vacation, and I was getting ready to go to the drive in with Gabi and Terra and a couple of boys. I had some new summer dresses I had bought on vacation and was excited to be social.

The phone was ringing as I curled my hair, and I heard someone pick it up.

"Lucy! Telephone!" Charlie sang from downstairs.

""Who is it?" I poked my head out of the bedroom door, not wanting Charlie to see me in my slip.

"You're true love, Sodapop Curtis!" He yelled, loud enough for the neighborhood to hear, let alone Sodapop.

"Charlie!" I hissed, blushing and pulling on a robe over my slip. "I don't love him! We aren't together!" I scurried down the stairs and slipped on the slippery kitchen floor, falling on my butt. "He probably just heard you!" I exclaimed, trying to maintain my dignity.

"Nice." He chuckled, handing me the phone, whose cord barely stretched to where I was. "And if he did hear me, well maybe that's not such a bad thing." he strolled out of the kitchen. I shook my head, not even bother to ask what that meant.

"Hello?" I spoke into the receiver.

"Hey Lucille," his voice was so smooth and warm and it made me miss him terribly. And the whole calling me 'Lucille' thing was getting annoying. Oh who was I kidding? I loved it.

"Hiya Sodapop." I giggled.

"Hey, what are you up to tonight? I thought I'd take you out. I want to talk with you. It's been ages." He drawled easily. But he sounded detached and pensive.

"Aw, I'm sorry Sodapop I can't go tonight." I sighed. "I'm going out with some friends."

I heard nothing for a moment. "That's a shame, not Sketch I hope?"

I chuckled. "No, Soda. Not Sketch. Never again."

"Good!' he laughed and I loved the sound of it. So light and happy-go-lucky.

The line was silent for a moment.

"Lucy, when do I get the pleasure of seeing you again?"

I didn't say anything for awhile, "I don't know, Sodapop..." I took a breath, "I've been so busy and-"

"Oh," he said dejectedly before I finished. "Well I guess we'll see each other eventually then."

I wanted to get rid of the sadness in his voice, "You been alright?" I stood up from the floor, brushing myself off and walking across the kitchen.

"It's nothing Lucy. I just really miss you. And there are a lot of things I have to tell you." He said quietly.

"Soon, alright?" I spoke carefully, "I promise."

"Me too. I promise too. Goodbye." I heard him chuckle, but it didn't resonate in my ears like it usually did.

"Bye." I said, but he had already hung up.

* * *

><p>That night at the drive in ended up being a major flop. As usually, Gabi and Terra had dates, and I was a fifth wheel, so I sat on the back bumper of the car and people watched. This was starting to become a habit here. I did it way too often. I found myself wishing Soda was here, or that I was with him, or that I had taken his invitation up.<p>

I went to go get some popcorn before the movie started, and I stood in line. After waiting for a while and deciding I wasn't really that hungry for popcorn, I turned and bumped into someone.

"I'm sorry!" I looked up and felt my heart sink. It was Brad. I couldn't pretend like I hadn't recognized him because how could I not have, so I just resorted to the good ole: "Hi Brad."

"Hey Lucy." he grinned and there was no trace of sarcasm or cockiness in his voice. It was familiar. It was the Brad I fell for. A voice in the back of my head rang out a warning, but I wasn't going to go fall in love with him again or anything. "Sorry 'bout that. You okay?"

"I'm fine." I spoke, but not quite too friendly. Not yet.

"How've you been? You look nice and tan." He cocked his head.

"Good thanks, I was on vacation." I said, but stayed reserved. It was like dipping your toes in the water before taking the plunge, to see what the temperature was right. I was testing him.

"You hear alone?"

"No," I said quietly, and he seemed not surprised. "I'm with some friends. But I might as well be alone." I smiled, jumping in.

He bit his lower lip. "Same here. We should catch up. It's been awhile."

"Sure," and I didn't see the harm in it. After all, that was ages ago, I didn't matter anymore.

We strolled around, back towards his car, laughing, talking and catching up, like old times. I kind of missed it, to be honest. There was something we could always find in common, even though I always thought we were alike as could be.

By the end of the night we ended up on the back bumper of his car, and we weren't people watching. We were talking. He apologized for everything too, and he was being honest and sincere and meant everything. He told me he had no clue I had feelings for him, because I never acted like it, but I forgave him. It was over.

I was laughing at a joke of his when I looked up and saw Sodapop. He was standing probably fifty feet away, staring at Brad in a really mean way. Although he was still handsome, he looked mean and dangerous. And tough. I briefly wondered how long he'd been there. When his eyes locked with mine though, he grinned in a really pissed-looking way, his smile more sarcastic than anything. Someone came up to Brad to talk and I excused myself, walking towards him.

Soda was with Two-Bit and Steve. I greeted them quickly and they waved back, looking busy because they were both arguing about a bet or something. I turned to Soda, who was looking at me.

"Hey look who's here." He tapped my arm gently. "It's good to see ya, Lucy."

Not seeing him for awhile gave me a whole new appreciation for how handsome he was. He must have gotten a lot of sun, because he was tan, and his hair was much lighter and golden-colored now. He looked more handsome than usually, but I wasn't quite sure if that was entirely possible.

"It's good to see you too," I smiled and he put a light hand on my waist, pulling me against him, but I pulled away quickly and watched the smile he finally put on his face turn to a grimace.

"Do you want to talk?" Soda asked, looking serious. I wanted my old Sodapop back, the one that was always happy-go-lucky and grinning.

I looked over my shoulder at Brad, who had a few guys surrounding him, joking and laughing. "Sure," I said, "But not for long, only a bit."

"Okay," He started walking and I presumed he wanted me to follow him, so I did.

Once we were further from everyone else, he looked at me. His hand were in his pockets and his hair blew in the light summer wind. It had gotten long. He was so handsome, and I briefly wondered why he bothered with me as a friend when there were hundreds of prettier girls in this city.

"Who was that boy you were with?" He asked, casually.

"The boy... oh Brad?"

"I don't know who it was. I didn't know you were on a date." He bit his lip and his tone was a bit annoyed. "Are you guys an item or something? I thought he broke your heart."

"Woah, Soda. Slow down. I just ran into him. I was bored with my friends and we started talking. I haven't talked to him in awhile. There's nothing going on." I said, giving him a surprised look afterwards for good measure.

"I'm sorry," he shook his head. "I shouldn't have asked, that was dumb. I was just wouldn't lie to me."

"I wouldn't, and you aren't dumb," I furrowed my brow, looking at the ground.

"How was vacation?" He asked, ignoring my response.

Why was this so awkward? He wasn't being himself. It was strange.

"Great!" I smiled at him, wondering if he'd feed off my positive energy.

"You're nice and tan. You look pretty tonight, Lucy." He smiled back and nudged me. I felt my heart flip when I recognized his familiar playful tone. I hoped it would stay.

"Thanks Sodapop!" I nudged him back and he chuckled.

"Boy I missed you, Lucy."

"Why, I'm nothing special." I teased.

The smile fell from his face. "Yeah you are, you're my girl." He scratched his neck, with a slight confused grin on his face. My face must have fell, because he looked down at the ground and muttered something under his breath that sounded like "I wish" but I couldn't be sure.

My stomach twisted when he said it. "You don't-"

"You're a good friend." He explained, looking up, squinting at something behind me. I turned to see what he was looking at and I realized we were further away from the cars and screens. No one else was around. It was quiet. "I have a lot to tell you."

"Not now. I have to get back to my friends." I said, and it came out harsher than I thought it would. I didn't like this weird robotic-like Sodapop.

"Right." He nodded with a close-lipped smile.

"What's the matter Soda?" I stepped forward and fixed the collar of his faded plaid shirt. I looked up at him. His eyes were like pools of chocolate and it made me want to cry. They looked sad and sick.

"Nothing." He pulled away from me. "There's a lot of stuff going on I can't explain."

"You should try to."

He bit his lip. "Not now, you have to get back to your friends." His voice was icy, but when he saw the hurt on my face he changed his tone. "So, what are you doing this summer?" He grinned.

"Nothing..." I said tentatively. "I'm looking forward to having fun with friends and be single and free and not have to worry about boys."

"Boy free, still, eh?" He chuckled.

"Save for my best bud Sodapop, though!" I smirked.

He laughed nervously. "Yeah, that's real funny."

"What is?"

"This whole 'no boys' thing." He grimaced, running his fingers through his hair.

I felt myself grow serious. "It's not funny, Sodapop. I'm sick of getting heartbroken."

"Yeah, 'cause every guy is out there to break your heart." He snapped, suddenly.

I took a step away from him. "What is _wrong_ with you, Sodapop?" I shook my head.

He stared at me for awhile, then frowned. "You don't understand, do you Lucy."

"Understand what?"

He sighed. "I'm sorry for snapping at you Lucy. I just, I don't know."

"Neither do I." I said quietly. "But I don't want to be heartbroken. It may seem crazy to you, but I'd do better on my own."

"Is that what you want?" he asked, standing in front of me, his brown eyes boring into mine.

I nodded. "Yes, of course."

He looked at me, and after a long pause, spoke. "Well, I guess that's it than"

"What's it?" I asked, staring back.

"Its nothing, Lucy. That's exactly what it is. Nothing." He shook his head, then smiled his dazzling smile, and his eyes flashed over with the same sadness I saw when he talked about his parent's, Pony, and Sandy. But then he grew stiff again, his happiness fleeting. "It was fun while it lasted. I'll see you around, Lucy."

He turned around, walking away, leaving me standing alone, confused. What the hell was that, and what did he mean? Was that it? He couldn't be serious, could he? Where we not friends anymore? Because he sure seemed like he didn't want to see me around.

This awful feeling hit me in the stomach like a kick in the guts. I felt awful and I didn't want to wait for my friends to finish their dates and drive me home. I wanted home now. I walked back to the snack bar and rummaged through my pockets. I found a dime and stuck it in, dialing my home number.

"Hello?" I recognized Charlie's voice.

"Charlie?" I hated how weak and shaky my voice sounded.

"What's the matter, Bitsy?"

"I'm at the drive in, can you pick me up? I don't want to be here anymore." I held my stomach.

"I'm leaving now." She said quickly and the line went dead. I snuck out of the drive in and sat near the ticket booth, still wondering what had just happened.

Within 15 minutes, Charlie pulled up in his truck. I got in quickly and closed the door. Charlie was smart, he knew me. He wouldn't say anything until I was ready to talk. I would talk when I needed to.

But I didn't because I didn't know what to say, and I didn't know why I was so upset or what had really happened.

"What happened tonight?" He asked as we pulled down our street.

"I think...I think I just lost a good friend." I managed and walked away from him as fast as I could.

I went to my room and laid in bed staring at Soda's leather jacket on my chair. He had forgotten it again at my house. I tried to give it back and he put it on, than complained it got hot and took it off again. I didn't realize he left it until after he was gone from my house. So I put it back in my chair. It probably smelled like him again, too. But I didn't want to know, because I felt like if I thought too hard about this, I might do something dumb like cry.

**Oh nooo :( I feel so sad! **

**What do you guys think is going to happen next?**


	19. Home of the Blues

_Just around the corner there's heartache_

_Down the street that losers use_

_If you can wade in through the teardrops_

_You'll find me at the Home of the Blues_

_********_I sat in a chair by myself at the drive-in, alone. There were other people around, but they weren't paying any attention to me. The movie was on but it was a strange movie, and it made no sense to me. I didn't like it. Suddenly, I felt a warm breath on my neck and I turned around glaring, but felt my eyes open wide when I realized it was the same man from the party.

"How ya doin' sweets?" He said, his voice low and gravelly. Fear came rushing back at me like a tidal wave does at the beach.

"No!" I screamed loudly, and I caught the attention of everyone else around me. I hoped they would do something, try to stop what he was going to do, but they didn't. They just stared, then looked away. He grabbed me and I screamed but no sound came out this time, and no one was looking anymore.

I couldn't talk or move, and my legs felt like lead, but suddenly, I fell to the ground and realized I was in the grass at the park near my house. The man was gone. I tried to forget all about it, tried to push the feeling of him on me once more away, but suddenly I heard someone approaching.

I looked up and it was Sodapop. He looked just as gorgeous as ever, and he wasn't glaring or smiling. He just looked indifferent

"We need to talk," I said, reaching out and I felt sick when he took a step back. The sight of him made me feel weak and awful.

"Lucy, it's okay. I'm sorry for everything. I'm so sorry." He said carefully, falling to his knees beside me. And those were the words I was waiting to hear. I hugged him and he helped me up, pulling me off the grass. His put his arm around my waist and then we walked off back towards my house.

"Lucy...Lucy...Lucy..." I heard his voice echoing in my ear and a sharp pain on my side.

"Ouch!" I whined, and jerked away, but when I did, my eyes opened and I found that it was only a dream.

I felt my heart sink as I realized how bizarre and unrealistic the dream really was. I couldn't believe I thought it was real. I wished Soda would come around just like that. I wished it was real. I'd been waiting and thinking for nearly a week but there were no more phone calls and no more random visits anymore. Just like that, he was gone. And I had a feeling it was for good.

"Lucy! Lucy!" I recognized that what had woken me up was my obnoxious brother, David, who was jumping all over me like I was a sack of potatoes.

"Dave go away!" I whined, pushing him off me. "I'm trying to sleep! Just leave me alone."

"That's all you've done this week!" He whined back, sitting on top of me and frowning, crossing his arms.

"Shut up." I pulled a pillow over my head, and rolled until he fell off the bed. I heard a muted thud and held my breath. I hadn't meant for him to get hurt, but soon I heard him shuffle out of my room in defeat.

"You're not even nice to me anymore." He mumbled and slammed my door shut.

I didn't respond. It made me feel sick and horrible but I couldn't help it. I was so awfully and terribly upset I had no energy to joke around with my family, and I had been ignoring them, too. I wasn't depressed, I was just in bewilderment as to what had happened last weekend. I was trying to sort everything out but nothing made sense. I knew something had to happen soon that would get me out of this funk.

At first I tried to shake it off, to forget about it. But that didn't work. I had given up boys, right? Who needed them? Not me. I was independant. Or so I thought. It turned out I wasn't really that independent after all. I felt like I had after Brad dumped me, only worse, which was funny, because I didn't like Sodapop like that. I sat on my back patio that night, after my weird dream that morning. I was just thinking. It was midnight and I probably shouldn't have been out here at this hour, but I was.

"Thinking?" asked a voice. It was Charlie. I turned around and he was a few feet away. I hadn't even heard him approach.

"Just a little bit." I sighed, smiling at him, then turning back around to face the darkness of my backyard.

"Who was it anyways?" He asked, and I heard his footsteps come closer.

"What?"

"On Friday?" He asked.

I shook my head and looked down at my bare feet.

"Sodapop." he said quietly, and my head snapped up.

"How'd you know?" I asked, tentatively.

Charlie eased himself down so he was sitting on the step next to me. "I know," He said gently. "What happened, exactly?"

I squinted into the darkness and tried to put what happened into words. "I don't know exactly. We weren't even supposed to be together. He just happened to be there with some friends and we ran into each other. I haven't had the chance to see him in weeks, and he had to tell me something, but he never really did, because we had to get back to my friends."

I took in a breath. "We were talking and he seemed like there was a lot on his mind, he was all pensive and seemed upset the entire time we talked. I mentioned to him how excited I was to be single this summer and he got all cynical and defensive and upset. And when I asked him what was wrong he said it was nothing, that it was absolutely nothing and I didn't understand and I didn't get it. Than he walked off and left me standing alone, and that's when I called you. It was like I meant nothing to him, and I think that's what he meant by that. I suppose I'm old news. He must not care about me anymore."

When I finished I felt shaky and vulnerable. I felt tears stinging my eyes but I blinked them back, and I was thankful it was dark out.

Charlie chuckled and I glared at him. This wasn't a joke.

"It sounds like that's the opposite of how he really feels." He shook his head.

"What do you mean? A guy who cares doesn't act like that." I argued.

"Don't you see, Lucy? He_ likes_ you. And not as a friend. I think he's fallen for you."

I laughed out loud. "Sodapop Curtis? Have you seen the boy lately? A guy who looks like that, he could have any girl...A pretty girl would be a better fit. Pshh...'like me'" I chuckled. "...good one, Charles." I patted him on the back.

He let out a really drawn out sigh. "You're a pretty girl, Lucy. How many times do I have to tell you that? And maybe it's not about that to him, anyways. He's a good guy. He likes you for you. You're a good person. You're sweet and kind and caring."

I scoffed. "Please Charlie. You don't know anything about boys."

"Except for the fact that I am one. Please Lucy!" He insisted, "You seem to forget I was a teenage boy once, not even that long ago. Boys and girls can't be 'just friends' for too long. Things don't change Lucy. I've seen the way he looks at you. The fact that you've been sticking to this ridiculous 'no boys' plan is frustrating to him."

_Sodapop? Like me? No. He's gorgeous, and charming and sweet. I couldn't get that. Even if I tried, I couldn't. But maybe he...no. He couldn't. He's still in love with Sandy. But that was months ago...but still, just no. I couldn't...I can't. That makes no sense. I'm average and regular and nothing special. I'm not nearly as pretty as Sandy. And I don't do crazy things like they probably did. He's wild and reckless and fun. And I'm not. He couldn't like me. But if he could..._

"What do I do than, Charlie?" I asked finally. "Even if he does like me, which is preposterous."

"Talk to him."

"That's helpful." I snorted, sarcastically. "What am I supposed to say?"

"Start with telling him how you feel. And be honest. Just talk. Regardless of whether or not you like him, you can't let a friendship like that go to waste. And it's your turn to take the initiative and fix things." Charlie said sternly. "Do you like Sodapop, Lucy?"

Did I? I wasn't sure. I felt like the answer should have been obvious. Yes or no. But it was far too complicated. He'd break my heart anyways. It's be as easy as snapping a twig in two if I ever really fell in love with him. Hell, I was already upset and we weren't even together. I shook my head. But Sodapop was unlike any boy I'd ever known. He was sweet, loving, flirtatious, polite...a gentleman. Nobody ever treated me as good as he did. He understood everything.

"I don't know Charlie, I just don't know." My voice cracked and I felt my hand shake slightly.

"Do you want to know what I think about all this?" He asked me.

"What?" I stared at the ground.

"All this time, you're trying to run from love and from getting hurt. But look at you now? Aren't you hurt? You aren't happy because you may never be with him again."

"What are you trying to say?" I lifted my head and looked at him.

"I'm saying maybe it's better to give the poor guy a chance than to feel like this. If you give it a chance, than at least you can't say you didn't try."

I sighed and looked at my bare feet again. "I'll think about it. Thanks Charlie."

"No problem Lucy. And no matter what you decide," he walked towards the door, "you need to give him the respect and let him know how you feel, okay?" He paused and turned around. "You owe him that."

"Okay." I said quietly.

I heard the screen door slam and he left me alone with my thoughts once again.

I stared into the yard, than remembered the spot where Sodapop had stood, tossing rocks at my window to ask me if I was alright. He had saved me from that man at the party and tried to make me feel better. I remembered the way he had held me against him, so protective, so steady and strong. Why did he care so much? What did he see in me?

"Lucille." The way he said my name with that dazzling smile of his.

The first time I met him, alone with Brad. I'd never seen anyone as handsome as him. I laughed to myself when I thought of him tossing flour at me, sitting on his kitchen floor while we tried to make chocolate cake. That night at the diner when he had held me close to him, his cheek against mine while we danced. He told me everything. We shared everything with each other. We were so close.

Than it hit me how true Charlie's words were. He did like me, a lot. He wasn't just a flirt. He really liked me. He cared about me.

That's when I wanted to punch myself in the face. How could I have been so foolish? It had been obvious for awhile now. And I hadn't even noticed at all. And I wanted to rewind it and do it all over. But this time I wanted to do it right. Say the right things and do everything over so we'd never be here again.

"Just take me back to the start." I said quietly to myself.

It took me less than a minute to make my decision. I knew what I had to do.

After staring at the darkened lawn for a long time, I finally got up, walked inside and up to my room. I sat on the edge of my bed and stared at his jacket on the chair in the corner. Than I walked over to it and picked it up. It was soft, smooth and it smelled like him. Like leather, and chocolate cake. I felt tears spring to the back of my eyes, but refused to let them fall. I never imagined losing Soda's company would be so hard. All the little things he did for me, and I took them all for granted. Now they were gone, and I had to win him back. But how? I had to be honest. I would say exactly what I needed to say, and if he didn't like it, well, I guess he would be gone for good._********_

_So if you've just lost your sweetheart_

_And it seems there's no good way to choose_

_Come along with me, misery loves company_

_You're welcome at the Home of the Blues_

**_Ahh! School is finally out and I am free! IDK about the sequel yet, because I'm not sure how to end this one._**

**_Would it break you heart if they ended up not being together? or can you not stand them not being together anymore? Do you want them to be together?_**

**_Just because. Maybe Lucy might not feel the same way..._**

**_PLEASE REVIEW! _**


	20. Back to the Start

****Well, this is it, the last chapter! Wow I can hardly believe it! It seems like ages ago I posted the first! Hopefully you guys really enjoyed it. I appreciate each and every review, comment, subscription, ect. You guys are all fantastic and awesome readers!****

**For the sequel, please subscribe to me (as an author) and to this story. I'll be posting information about it in a week or so (I'm going on vacation). If you would be interested in a sequel, PM/ review me and let me know what you'd like to see happen in it!**

**But without further to do...**

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><p>The next day I set off on my mission. Well, to be honest, I wasn't sure exactly what my mission was. It wasn't well-defined. I didn't know if I would win back Sodapop for sure, but I was going to be honest, and hopefully that would work out well.<p>

As I was about to leave my house I ran into Charlie. "Hey, where are you going?"

I took a deep breath "I'm going back to the start."

He gave me a confused look. "What?"

"I'm going to fix things with Sodapop."

He grinned widely. "Good. Go get 'em."

"I will!" I exclaimed, trying to keep positive.

I headed to the DX. He had told me he was going to be working a lot more this summer, since his brother was out of school and he had more time on his hands. I figured if he was taking up extra hours, I might as well find him there. Plus, at midday on a Monday, I doubted anyone else would be around, and we could talk in private. And like I told Charlie, I wanted to go back to the start, back to the place I first met him. So I could fix things there. Only this time, I was going to do things the right way. The way it should have gone, instead of screwing up and creating this mess.

I also made myself look halfway decent. Now, I know it sounds preposterous, and looks shouldn't matter, but looking cute wouldn't hurt. And I needed all the help I could get. I put on a few extra coats of mascara, some lipstick, and even a slightly more revealing dress that hugged my curves. I looked good, but not inappropriate or like I was trying to hard. I hoped he would notice.

While I was driving, I observed that it was slightly cloudy and the sun that once hung in the sky was no longer there. A brisk wind had developed, blowing the trees around.

I had grasped the fact that Sodapop liked me finally, and now I was working on the why part. It was so crazy and ridiculous. Why _me_? I continuously reminded myself that it wasn't the point. As I was driving over, I started to think a bit about what to say. I mainly planned on winging it, but being the overthinker I was, I decided it was best to have the main points outlined.

I realized pretty quickly, though, that thinking was only making me a nervous wreck. I started to get jittery and shaky and actually had to pull over and take some deep breaths before continuing on again.

And then after pulling over I felt even more pathetic because why would a reckless and wild boy like Sodapop like a no-nonsense, never-take-risks-has-to-ruminate-over-everything-before-she-acts kind of girl. But then I remembered I already considered this last night, and according to Charlie and everything he had done for me, for some reason Soda really liked me. _How_was just beyond me.

So I finally told myself to calm down and chill out, that everything would go the way it was supposed to. At first this helped, but then it didn't really so I just tried to keep my mind away from it in general until I got there.

As soon as I pulled into the parking lot I started hyperventilating. The only way I could calm myself down was by reminding myself that I didn't even know whether he was there or not. That did the trick and I was able to check my makeup, pop a mint in my mouth, grab his jacket and exit the car without a full-blown panic attack.

I walked to the door and through the glass I saw him leaning over the counter looking down at the laminate. I had the instantaneous reaction of of stepping away from the door and pressing myself up against the glass window where he wouldn't see me behind the cigarette advertisements.

"You have to do this Lucy. You have to tell him, even if it's not what he wants to hear." I said quietly to myself. I observed the cloudy sky that was getting darker, and also noticed that there were no cars around. I took a few moments to compose myself and think about what to say.

When I walked in again, Sodapop wasn't at the counter. Another guy had replaced him, and it wasn't Steve, it was an older guy I didn't recognize. He smiled politely when he saw me. "May I help you?" he asked.

"Yes," and I gripped Soda's jacket like it was a lifeline. "Is Sodapop Curtis here?"

The guy rolled his eyes, looking annoyed. "He's on his break in the back. Do you girls ever give it a rest? Gosh, so pathetic." He shook his head.

Something inside me snapped and before I knew it, I narrowed my eyes at him and read the nametag on his DX shirt. "Uhm, yes. Jack? Is that your name?" - he nodded- "Well, Jack. I'd like to know what your problem is. Don't assume I'm just another girl here to flirt with him." I raised my voice. "I happen to be a real friend of his that I need to talk to! Also, I have to return this!" I raised Soda's old jacket in the air.

Jack looked at me like I was crazy, and I couldn't really blame him, that was an unnecessary lash out. But it felt kind of good and I was a bit more relaxed now, "Well jeez, you don't have to get so worked up about it."

I shook my head and managed a slight smile. "I apologize for that. I just...I'm having a rough day!" I met his eyes.

"Well if it's so important, I'll just go get him." Jack still looked slightly unsure of me.

"No need. I'm here." said a quiet voice. "Lucy?"

I looked up from the tiled floor and saw Sodapop standing behind Jack. It was pretty obvious he had just witnessed my freakout.

_Marvelous._

Sodapop looked more confused, sad, and surprised to see me with anything else, which I supposed was good, better than being mad or cold like last weekend. He was wearing his DX shirt, which was light blue with his name and the DX logo on it. He was also wearing jeans and a DX cap. But somehow, even in his corny uniform, he looked handsome. I hoped I still looked decent.

"Oh hey, Sodapop. I was just looking for you, how wild!" I offered an innocent smile, but I felt like I was just grimacing and probably looked really scary so I just stopped. My palms were getting clammy and I felt like the jacket would slip from my hands at anytime.

"Hey, Jack. I'll be back in a little bit, is that alright?" Sodapop walked around the corner towards me, staring intently.

Jack just shrugged. "It's fine." He went back to leaning over the counter.

Sodapop walked toward me.

"We need to talk." I said loudly, but it came out as a hoarse whisper as he approached me.

"Yeah, I know Lucy." He said, walking past me and opening the door. Always a gentleman, he let me go through first. I couldn't imagine why Sandy would ever cheat on a guy who acted as chivalrous as Sodapop did.

Once we were outside I stared out at the ever-darkening sky and turned to Sodapop, who was giving me a really bored look. "Can I help you?" He asked.

"Sodapop. I'm sorry you had to see me get mad back there. I've been meaning to talk to you and I was kind of nervous so when he thought I was just some girl coming to see you I just-"

"Lucy, it's alright. It really is." He sounded slightly annoyed, but at least I wouldn't have to explain that anymore.

"Here's your jacket." I handed it to him, praying it didn't have sweat streaks from my clammy hands.

"Thanks," he mumbled and took it from me.

"Sodapop, we need to talk about last weekend."

"What about it?" He kicked the pavement with his shoe.

"You don't mind going somewhere else do you?" I asked, my nose crinkling.

"Than let's go." He led me out of the DX lot for a walk around the block. We stopped after we reached a small field. No one else was around. It was really windy out.

"So are you planning on talking?" He asked after a moment of silence. He had positioned himself in front of me. "I only have a half-hour for break."

"Well, I'm here to tell you that," I paused, "I thought about what you said last weekend."

"Did you?" He asked.

I nodded. "I'm afraid I can't accept the termination of our friendship. I believe that you're putting a great relationship to waste. Plus, it's left me completely unsatisfied." I was shaky and nervous and I realized how formal and ridiculous I sounded. _Gee, Lucy. What happened to: 'Can we be friends again?'_

Soda's face was serious, but his eyes gleamed slightly. "I didn't say we couldn't be friends."

I scoffed. "You might as well have said it."

He was silent.

I bit my lower lip and took a deep breath. "Sodapop, I didn't know you liked me, okay? Honest. I didn't think you could like a girl like me. I thought you gave up girls. I thought you were in love with Sandy. I never imagined you'd fall for me." I spoke quickly and fast.

He shook his head. "I did Lucy. I fell for you, and Sandy's done. She's not coming back. Yeah, I missed her for awhile, but it's done."

"I just never imagined it would happen. I mean you're so...you. And charming and stuff and I'm nothing special." I said. I felt my brows knit together in confusion.

Soda took in a deep breath. "That's the thing Lucy. You are special. Everyone is special to some degree. And you...well, look at yourself. You're nice and sweet and fun to be around. And you worry about the littlest things, but it's so cute. And your genuine, and real, and classy. And you have the cutest dimple on your right cheek. You're such a great person, inside and out. And you're beautiful and - Dammit Lucy. You're beautiful and you don't even know it. You don't even know it at all. But you should. I want you to know."

His voice cracked on the last sentence but I just stood with my mouth wide open as the wind blew my hair around my face. I wasn't any of those things. But if that didn't answer any of my questions from last night, than I didn't know what would. I felt a bit dizzy with this introduction of information.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner? Golly Soda..." I trailed off, looking at him. Wow Lucy. Is that all you can say?

He shook his head. "I didn't know for sure how I felt at first. And I didn't want to scare you. I didn't know how to tell you." He took a step towards me. His hair was so blonde, streaked with sun. And I looked into his sad, brown eyes.

_Too late, I'm already scared. _

I took a step away from him. "This wasn't supposed to happen Soda. We were supposed to be just friends..." I said sadly.

His brown eyes grew hard. "Sorry my feelings didn't work out the way you wanted them too." It started to rain. The rain speckled his shirt and turned the light blue into a navy where it landed. "There are some things you just can't control." He gave me a disappointed look and started walking away.

"Sodapop, wait!" I managed, feeling sick. I grabbed his arm and he turned around. I released him.

"What, Lucy?" His eyes were stormy, but I could see how upset he was underneath it all. I had hurt him.

I stepped closer to him. "Sodapop. I was up late last night trying to figure out what happened between us. I was oblivious to the fact that you liked me. And the entire time we were together, I was too busy worrying about getting my heart broken. But I didn't even realize through all that...that I fell for you. Hard."

Never in my life had I so blatantly shared my feelings for someone. It felt good, but at the same time, it was scary and nerve-wracking. Sodapop was standing, studying me. His eyes bore into mine and I just stood there, feeling-and probably looking- pathetic. When he didn't say anything, I spoke again.

"From the moment I met you and started to get to know you, I realized you were different from any guy I'd ever met. You were sweet, and charming, and funny and nice and a gentleman. And you taught me a lot about how to live my life without even saying anything. Because even throughout all the bad things a person goes through, you're living proof that someone can move on. Because you're always so happy and upbeat, and- and positive." I stuttered.

"So I don't want to stay away from you and be heartbroken. I wanted to tell you how I feel. And that's why I'm here. And I'm so bad with words and you probably have no clue what I'm trying to say and I've been so nervous to tell you this because I wasn't sure what you'd say. I wouldn't mind trying to make something work between us. If you don't want to, that's fine, but just let me know, okay?"

Soda smiled slightly. I_s that a pity smile? Or a good one? I probably look like a drowned rat in this rain. Thanks a lot Mother Nature. You couldn't have waited a half hour, could you? And what the hell? He's soaked and he still looks good! Can anything make him look bad?_

"Can I let you know now?" He tilted his head, his voice breaking my thoughts.

"I suppose that's fine if your final decision has been made." I lifted my chin, and wiped some water off my face.

He chuckled. "My final decision had been made, Lucy."

"Alright. Cool. Just let me know when you're ready." I offered up another awkwardly nervous smile, and as if on cue it started raining even harder. _You're kidding me, right? _I looked up at the sky and grimaced.

When I looked down, Sodapop took two steps towards me, closing the gap between us and quickly kissed me.

It all happened so fast, I was a bit startled. But I didn't want to pull away. He put a hand on my face and I practically melted. I kinda had wanted him to do this for awhile, even if I didn't realize it. His lips were soft and warm and he tasted like peppermints and Coke. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer to him. It was Sodapop who pulled away first, mostly because he was grinning with that dazzling smile of his. His nose touched mine now, and we were both soaked from the pouring rain. He raised a hand to push away my wet hair off my cheeks.

"You don't know how long I've wanted to do that." He mumbled, his eyes focused on mine.

"A long time?" I asked, slightly dizzy. I felt pathetic that he made me feel this way, but I was leaning on him now and I could really care less. I was also soaked and probably looked horrible and stupid, but I leaned in and kissed him this time, again, and he chuckled but kissed back.

He pulled me into a tight hug, his arms around my waist. He was soft and warm in the cold rain. Everything about it felt right. "Yes. For a long, long time."

So I guess in the end, I realized that not all boys are going to break your heart. Everybody gets their heart broken at some point in their life, but you'll find the person whose right for you.

People will surprise you, and end up being nothing like you thought they would be. But I think sometimes there aren't two sides to every person. I believe people can be exactly who they seem to be. There are some people who are just as wonderful from the moment you meet them, to the moment you say goodbye. As for me and Sodapop, though, I don't think that we will be saying goodbye anytime soon.

The End.

_I'll make you happy, baby, just wait and see  
>For every kiss you give me, I'll give you three<br>Oh, since the day I saw you, I have been waiting for you  
>You know I will adore you 'til eternity<em>

_-Be My Baby, The Ronettes_

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><p><strong> Wow! I want to cry now! Tell me what you think! <strong>

**Oh, and yeah, the rain was corny, but whatever! It needed a super crazy romantic ending.**

**Thanks again! And be sure to give me some ideas for the sequel if I decide to write one! The more ideas, the better it will be!**

**Thanks again so much! Ahg! How bittersweet is this? :D/D:**


	21. REQUESTS

HEY GUYSS!

SOOOOO, I know that technically this isn't allowed, BUT lately I've been wishing that I could write some more, but I'm not quite sure what to write ABOUT.

So, I decided to begin taking requests.

I don't think I'm going to write any long requests, we're talking 5 (give or take) chapters, depending on how many requests I get.

If you'd like one please review/ PM me and fill out this 'form' below, ill check it out and see what Ican do. You can either be super detailed or super vague, but just write down something yyou'd like to see. OH AND IM NOT WRITING PORN THANKS

**REQUEST FOR MINI-SERIES FANFICTION**

**What SERIES/BOOK is your request for? :**

**What CHARACTER (S) doe**

**s it inv**

**olve?**

**TITLE OF REQUEST/FANFICTION (optional, I can create one):**

**BACKGROUND/PLOT DETAILS (give me a summary of the fanfiction how detailed this is is up to to you, I will take more liberties with a less detailed summary, and less with a more detailed one)**

Further questions will be asked upon the request being accepted

You can do requests for the following books/series/etc.(I can't list them all so if there's something not on here you want to see, ask me before filling out the form!)

THE OUTSIDERS

THE CATCHER IN THE RYE

THE HUNGER GAMES

LES MISERABLES

THE CLIQUE

THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER

but anyways, ill be taking this 'chapter' down soon so just go ahead and request away! Can't wait to hear from you all! :)

I can't wait to hear from you all!


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